The Rider is simply the most moving and authentic film I’ve seen in 2018, a reinterpretation of the term ‘docudrama”, and a seamless blend between fiction and nonfiction.

| Jul 2, 2024

I love how Chloe Zhao makes this film almost feel like a bio-pic/documentary within this narrative structure, it’s as real as it could get and feels like something that is personal...

| Apr 4, 2024

Its tale of an injured rodeo rider describes economic hardships in poignant style, and into the bargain offers scenes and landscapes that might please any fan of cowboy movies.

| Oct 24, 2022

Chloe Zhao’s choice of the final scene to close out her sophomore effort is nothing short of extraordinary. Her film is as a salt of the earth as it is poetry in motion.

| Original Score: 4.5 | Aug 17, 2022

The Rider is a compelling drama about what it means to be a man in a world that doesn't offer men all that many options...

| Dec 17, 2021

When it comes to horse whispering, Robert Redford has nothing on Brady Jandreau.

| Dec 17, 2021

Boasting terrific performances and evocative cinematography, The Rider is a triumph of human endeavour and tenacity of spirit.

| Dec 17, 2021

The Rider is a contemporary cowboy drama written, directed and co-produced by Chloe Zhao, whose innovative approach to filmmaking creates the aura of authenticity and whose sensitive handling of its theme included casting a family of non-actors...

| Dec 17, 2021

The Rider could very well end up being the best movie of the year.

| Jul 16, 2021

The Rider is a modern classic.

| May 28, 2021

Zhao's precision and intuition help make this the stunning work that celebrates Jandreau and a way of life the defined the country in so many ways.

| Apr 30, 2021

Easily one of the best contemporary westerns in years and most certainly one of the best films of 2018.

| Original Score: 4.0/4.0 | Sep 21, 2020

Zhao smartly trusts her instincts enough to here keep her attention fixed on the foundational issues of masculinity and self-worth that so define the culture she captures.

| Aug 13, 2020

Paying moving tribute to the risks involved with rodeo riding, The Rider is "dedicated to all riders who live their lives 8 seconds at a time."

| Aug 6, 2020

Throughout all of the film, Zhao maintains her tone and, to a lesser extent, her pace, seeing her work more as a poem than as a narrative picture.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 24, 2020

The craft evidenced by writer-director-producer Chloé Zhao is great when she improvises and adapts to the actors and situation, but less so when she has complete control[.]

| Jul 1, 2020

The piece works because Zhao has the open eyes and big heart of a humanitarian, and she refuses to ignore inspiration in any form when it strikes her squarely between the eyes.

| Jun 11, 2020

An extraordinary translation of life into art.

| Mar 5, 2020

The sort of deep, meaningful film that reminds us why we are so lucky the independent film industry exists in the first place.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Oct 17, 2019

It reminds us of the dignifying power of work and purpose in human existence, even as it ponders the meaning of life when these things are taken away.

| Aug 20, 2019