Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2006)
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80% of critics liked it
(75 reviews) -
63% of users liked it
(14,115 ratings)
On the heels of such extravagant historical swordplay epics as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou returns to the reins to tell this intimate tale of an aging father who attempts to remedy a longstanding rift with his grown son. Summoned to Tokyo by his… More On the heels of such extravagant historical swordplay epics as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou returns to the reins to tell this intimate tale of an aging father who attempts to remedy a longstanding rift with his grown son. Summoned to Tokyo by his daughter-in-law, Rie (Shinobu Terajima), village fisherman Gou-ichi Takata (Ken Takakura), arrives at a city hospital to find his son, Ken-ichi (Kiichi Nakai), bedridden by liver cancer. Though Gou-ichi attempts to use the visit as a catalyst to heal a decade-long dispute between the pair, stubborn Ken-ichi rejects his father's attempt at reconciliation outright. Subsequently handed a videotape by Rie before departing back to the countryside, Gou-ichi returns home unsuccessful in his efforts to build a bridge of peace between himself and his ailing son. Upon watching the videotape, a research project exploring the Chinese folk arts that was shot by Ken-ichi in the Southern province of Yunnan, Gou-ichi is oddly affected by the onscreen failure of his son in convincing well-known opera singer Li Jiamin (playing himself) to perform the titular song, a classic operatic piece espousing the values of friendship. Now determined to travel to Yunnan and videotape the performance that his son could not, Gou-ichi embarks on a life-changing quest that will not only give him a greater understanding of the relationship between himself and his own son, but set into motion a healing process that will also have a profound impact on the troubled opera singer and the man's long-lost illegitimate son as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Yimou Zhang
- Written By
- Yimou Zhang, Jingzhi Zou, zou Jenghi
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
PG,
- In Theaters
- Sep 1, 2006 Limited
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Classics
Critic Reviews
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The themes are universal (if a touch corny), the rugged Chinese scenery is stupendous, and the performances are touching.
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Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
What remains most vividly after Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles, however, is not its story but its world--the immersion in that world of a foreigner, not a polo-shirted Yank but a stiff-necked Japanese. And it is all overseen by a Chinese director.
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Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
It sounds like a slight plot, and it is, but it is rich in detail that makes up for the simplicity of the story.
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It's a masterful little film, and, thanks to Zhang's seasoned hands, it's subtly heartfelt but never manipulative.
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John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
A father takes a spiritual journey from Japan to China to help mend a decades-long rift between himself and his dying son. The lessons learned en route are as profound as they are simple.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Ken Takakura
as Gou-ichi Takata
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Kiichi Nakai
as Ken-ichi Takata
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Shinobu Terashima
as Rie Takata
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Li Jiamin
as Li Jiamin
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Qiu Lin
as "Lingo"
- Jiang Wen
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Yang Zhenbo
as Yang-yang
- Shinobu Terajima
- Ken Nakamoto
