The new film Hard Miles delivers a welcome and much-needed message: Black and Hispanic Americans are not victims subject to the whims of racist “structures” and “systems.” They are victors who control their own destinies, no matter how much “Whitey” might root against them.
Tight direction, an exciting score, beautiful outdoor cinematography, and an unpredictable script all make this a memorable film.
This applies to mild-mannered, law-abiding citizens as well as hot-headed young men who are prone to violence and even trouble with the law.
Veteran actor Matthew Modine stars in this true story as Greg Townsend, a welding teacher at Ridgeway Academy, a minimum-security juvenile-detention facility in Colorado. He roots for and leads four incarcerated teens (one white) on a most auspicious journey out of their small, scary worlds into the big skies and endless horizons of the Rockies and the desert Southwest.
Their 726-mile journey from Denver to the Grand Canyon has its ups and downs, which makes for a most entertaining and meaningful road trip.
As these four troubled kids conquer steep grades with nothing but leg power, their self-confidence grows. The self-doubts pressed upon them by difficult circumstances and people who expect nothing from them evaporate with every gear shift.
Matthew Modine in ‘Hard Miles’ (Pense Productions)
In a particularly effective way, the at-risk youth who pedal the film forward seem not to be actors but, instead, local amateurs tapped for the task — perhaps young toughs who were “sentenced” essentially to portray themselves on film. Their performances are so relaxed and natural that they seem not to be performances at all. It usually takes seasoned professionals to pull this off. The fact that newcomers Damien Diaz, Jahking Guillory, Jackson Kelly, and Zachary Robbins are so convincing as “the real thing” confirms these young actors’ abundant promise for success on the Silver Screen.
Also commendable, Cynthia Kay McWilliams as a sort of correctional system “den mother” who drives the team’s supply van and watches over the teens and Townsend, who has his own demons. Leslie David Baker provides consistent comic relief as a hybrid high school principal and jail warden who keeps Townsend and the cyclists on a long leash. He also goes the extra mile to steer them out of trouble when assorted speed bumps arise.
This long and winding road features multiple plot twists and a surprisingly high number of laughs. Hard Miles is far more engaging than watching wheels go ’round in circles. Tight direction, an exciting score, beautiful outdoor cinematography, and an unpredictable script all make this a memorable film with a simple moral:
Yes, you can!
Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News Contributor.
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