Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

 

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2006)

NEUTRAL
Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Microsoft Store
Movie Reviews85%
PG
2005, Drama, 1h 47m
RT Critics’ Score: 80% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 10 nominations

 

Critics Consensus

Doesn’t reach the heights of Zhang Yimou’s best, but this is still a heartwarming tale of love and forgiveness from the acclaimed Chinese director
 

Audience Consensus

Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles is a movie that takes you on a journey from Japan to China, but it’s not just any journey. It’s a journey of a father trying to mend his relationship with his dying son. The story may be simple, but the details and cultural clashes make it a profound example of unashamed feeling expanding across cultural barriers. Plus, the cast is the genuine article, from real-life opera singers to travel agents and youngsters. It’s a masterful little film that will leave you feeling sentimental but never manipulated.
 
Movie Trailer

Movie Info

Storyline

A Japanese fisherman travels to Tokyo to see his estranged son who has cancer, but when his son rejects him, he decides to finish his dying wish of capturing a famous Chinese opera star’s performance on film. Along the way, he sets out to reunite the singer with his illegitimate son.

 
Production Company(ies)
AOI Promotion Fuji Television, Network GAGA.
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Lijiang, Yunnan, China
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for mild thematic elements
 
Year of Release
2005
 

Technical Specs
  • Color:
    Color
  • Sound mix:
    Dolby Digital
  • Aspect ratio:
    1.85 : 1
  • Runtime:
    NA
  • Language(s):
    Mandarin, Japanese
  • Country of origin:
    United States
  • Release date:
    Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2007

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Ken Takakura, Shinobu Terajima, Kiichi Nakai, Qiu Lin, Yang Zhenbo, Ken Nakamoto, directed by Yimou Zhang, written by Zou Jingzhi, drama, PG, box office gross $251.6K, reviewed by Steven D Greydanus, Marjorie Baumgarten, Stanley Kauffmann, Richard Nilsen, Desson Thomson, John Monaghan, Fernando F Croce, Amber Wilkinson, Maria Garcia, Laura Clifford, Robin Clifford, heartwarming, forgiveness, Chinese opera star, cancer, estranged son, Japanese fisherman, Tokyo, grief-stricken, separation, illegitimate son, cultural barriers, communication, father-son relationship, family drama, emotional, heartwarming tale, foreign language film, Chinese director, Japanese actor, Chinese actor, family reconciliation, fatherhood, redemption, cultural clash, cross-cultural, emotional journey, human connection, love, forgiveness, family, drama film, Asian cinema, East Asian cinema, Dolby Digital sound mix, Xiu Jian producer, Weiping Zhang producer, William Kong producer
 

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $3,752,325
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,718,481
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,134
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 623,607
 
US/Canada gross: $252,325
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $384,539
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,394
US/Canada opening weekend: $28,223
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $43,011
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,259
 
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $11,429,875
Production budget ranking: 1,618
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,154,988
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$11,866,382
ROI to date (est.): -67%
ROI ranking: 1,791

 
Movie Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew

Ken TakakuraGou-ichi TakataShinobu TerajimaRie TakataKiichi Nakai
Ken Takakura
Gou-ichi Takata
Shinobu Terajima
Rie Takata
Kiichi Nakai
Gou-ichi Takata
Rie Takata
Ken-ichi Takata
Lingo
Yang-Yang
Ken Takakura – Gou-ichi Takata
Shinobu Terajima – Rie Takata
Kiichi Nakai – Ken-ichi Takata
Qiu Lin – Lingo
Yang Zhenbo – Yang-Yang
Ken Nakamoto – Self
Xiu Jian – Producer
Weiping Zhang – Producer
William Kong – Producer
Yimou Zhang – Director
Zou Jingzhi – Writer
Dolby Digital – Sound Mix

 

Yimou ZhangZou JingzhiXiu JianWeiping ZhangWilliam Kong
Yimou Zhang
Zou Jingzhi
Xiu Jian
Weiping Zhang
William Kong
Director
Writer
Producer
Producer
Producer

Director(s)
Yimou Zhang
 
Writer(s)
Zou Jingzhi
 
Producer(s)
Xiu Jian, Weiping Zhang, William Kong

 
Movie Reviews & Awards
Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 10 nominations
 
Academy Awards

 

Top Reviews
Steven D. GreydanusMarjorie BaumgartenStanley KauffmannRichard NilsenDesson Thomson
Steven D. Greydanus
Marjorie Baumgarten
Stanley Kauffmann
Richard Nilsen
Desson Thomson
Decent Films
Austin Chronicle
The New Republic
Arizona Republic
Washington Post
RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES
 All Critics (75) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (15)
 October 29, 2008 | Rating: B+
 
 Steven D. Greydanus
 Decent Films
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s the kind of story that shows more than it tells, a story that’s forged in the spaces that exist in between characters and spaces.
 
 October 30, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Marjorie Baumgarten
 Austin Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 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.
 
 October 26, 2006
 
 Stanley Kauffmann
 The New Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 It sounds like a slight plot, and it is, but it is rich in detail that makes up for the simplicity of the story.
 
 October 19, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5
 
 Richard Nilsen
 Arizona Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 It’s a masterful little film, and, thanks to Zhang’s seasoned hands, it’s subtly heartfelt but never manipulative.
 
 October 19, 2006
 
 Desson Thomson
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 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.
 
 October 13, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
 
 John Monaghan
 Detroit Free Press
 TOP CRITIC
 A profound example of unashamed feeling expanding across cultural barriers
 
 August 30, 2009
 
 Fernando F. Croce
 CinePassion
 This may be one man’s story but the themes are epic.
 
 June 14, 2008 | Rating: 4.5/5
 
 Amber Wilkinson
 Eye for Film
 The director fails to overcome a script that ignores the backstory of the characters, and that agonizingly details minor subplots.
 
 March 1, 2007
 
 Maria Garcia
 Film Journal International
 The story may be sentimental, but Yimou layers it by adding cultural clash to the generational ones.
 
 February 24, 2007 | Rating: B
 
 Laura Clifford
 Reeling Reviews
 From real-life opera singer Jianin to travel agent Lin Qiu and youngster Zhenbo Yang, the cast is the genuine article…
 
 February 16, 2007 | Rating: B
 
 Robin Clifford
 Reeling Reviews
 …gorgeously photographed and, like Babel, a subtly organized commentary on the ways people strive to communicate.
 
 December 6, 2006 | Rating: 91/100
 
 Philip Martin
 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette…

 
Movie Plot & More
Plot
A Japanese fisherman travels to Tokyo to see his estranged son who has cancer, but when his son rejects him, he decides to finish his dying wish of capturing a famous Chinese opera star’s performance on film. Along the way, he sets out to reunite the singer with his illegitimate son.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Ken Takakura, a legendary Japanese actor known for his roles in yakuza films.
 
Movie Links Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes

Links
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 
Where to Watch

 
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