'Hard Miles' Review: Biking Down a Well-Trodden Path
There have been plenty of sports dramas, and there have been a lot of road movies. Despite their differences, there is potential for a lot of overlap. Both can be inspirational stories, based on true events, focused on a small group of people undertaking a personal and physical journey. A convenient way to combine both these genres is through the sport of cycling, which takes characters across a long distance by their own strength and endurance. Such is the way of a film like Hard Miles.
This is the second feature film directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna, whose directorial debut was the similarly inspirational based-on-a-true-story drama Miss Virginia. One of the lead actors of that film, veteran actor Matthew Modine, reunites with Hanna in the lead role of this film. He portrays Greg Townsend, an avid cyclist who works with teenage convicts in a correctional facility called Ridge View Academy. He’s planning his next big biking trip when he’s approached by his superior (Lesley David Baker) to take some of the youths on a trip in order to persuade the state to renew Ridge View’s charter. Greg agrees, on the condition that he takes them on his bike trip instead of a hike. With the help of Ridge View’s psychologist (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams) Greg takes four students on a life-changing journey, not just for them but also for himself. Rounding out the main cast is a brief appearance by Sean Astin as the bike mechanic who first inspires then sponsors Greg’s efforts.
The four youths in question are Woolbright (Jahking Guillory), Smink (Jackson Kelly), RIce (Zach Robbins), and Atencio (Damien Diaz). Each one is in Ridge View for different reasons, and none of them are enthusiastic about the journey when they first start pedalling. You can guess how the bonding process will go, and how they will each hit their respective walls during the long bike trip from Denver to the Grand Canyon. Greg himself has his own struggles; his brother has been calling him from prison to let him know that their father is knocking on death’s door. Greg has his reasons for not wishing to see his father again, which are made crystal clear over the course of the film.
There is a lot going for this film. The script, by Hanna and Christian Sander, hits all the right beats with this type of story and mostly seems to ring true. Modine, who hasn’t always had the chance to headline a film as lead actor, proves his worth yet again. He takes what could have been a lazy cardboard cutout figure and makes him a three-dimensional character. Greg is driven but stubborn, strong but also vulnerable, quick to criticise others for doing which he himself is guilty of, idealistic and protective of his boys while still resenting them when they fall short of his high expectations. The four youths have their own chance to shine throughout the film as well. Although their bonding is a bit sporadic at times, the actors do their best to make it feel as natural as possible. Some scenes even feel like the actors were improvising with each other, in a good way. The film also manages to invest its audience in the physical journey. One scene that is particularly harrowing involves someone making a reckless decision whose consequences play out in terrifying detail.
It is difficult to say how successful this film is at accomplishing its goals. Only someone who has experience with this subject matter, or knowledge of the true story, will be able to verify the film’s authenticity. Certain conflicts are resolved with surprising ease, undermining the attempt to show how people struggle with them in the first place. Audience members might also have their own issues with one message in particular, involving a character making peace with a former abuser. However, the film is not trying to be controversial, nor does it try to make waves.
Few people will be surprised by Hard Miles. It is a straightforward film, aiming to tell an inspirational story about young men overcoming their pasts and working towards a better future. Fittingly, for a movie about a journey towards a well-known and even cliched destination, the film follows the formula to the expected end. But just like with the Grand Canyon, just because the end is predictable doesn’t mean it’s without merit.