Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

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Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

PG

2005

1h 47m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

81%

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10,000+ Ratings

Upon learning his estranged son (Kiichi Nakai) has cancer, a Japanese fisherman (Ken Takakura) travels to Tokyo to see him. Though his son rejects him, the fisherman decides to finish the dying man's project: capturing a famous Chinese opera star's performance on film. However, the singer cannot perform, for he is too grief-stricken at his separation from his illegitimate son. The fisherman decides to reunite the singer and the child and sets out to find him.

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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.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

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.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2006

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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.

Oct 26, 2006

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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.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 19, 2006

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

A profound example of unashamed feeling expanding across cultural barriers

Aug 30, 2009

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Amber Wilkinson

Eye for Film

This may be one man's story but the themes are epic.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jun 14, 2008

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Maria Garcia

Film Journal International

The director fails to overcome a script that ignores the backstory of the characters, and that agonizingly details minor subplots.

Mar 1, 2007

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Audience Member

Meaning of the family was beautifully portrayed in this touching story. Good watch for the Father's day.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

And suddenly Mr. Zhang has decided to let me down.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Kinda manipulative and simplistic, but it did get to me a few times and I ended up enjoying it. That narration needs to go, though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Frances H

Emotionally touching study of familial love and grief set against the breath-taking beauty of rural China.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/04/13

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Audience Member

A film about a person making a film?? Filmception?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

GREAT GREAT MOvie !!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Yimou Zhang

Director

Ken Takakura

Gou-ichi Takata

Shinobu Terajima

Rie Takata

Kiichi Nakai

Ken-ichi Takata

Qiu Lin

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Yang Zhenbo

Yang-Yang

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Synopsis

Upon learning his estranged son (Kiichi Nakai) has cancer, a Japanese fisherman (Ken Takakura) travels to Tokyo to see him. Though his son rejects him, the fisherman decides to finish the dying man's project: capturing a famous Chinese opera star's performance on film. However, the singer cannot perform, for he is too grief-stricken at his separation from his illegitimate son. The fisherman decides to reunite the singer and the child and sets out to find him.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Producer: Xiu Jian, Weiping Zhang, William Kong
Screenwriter: Zou Jingzhi
Production Co: Edko Films, Zhang Yimou Studio
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 1, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 11, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $251.6K
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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