Horror film is one brutal but meaningless 'Ryde' through L.A.

By Kimber Myers

Sept. 14, 2017 1:05 PM PT

The dangers of the gig economy don’t merely reside in its lack of benefits for workers, according to the horror movie “Ryde.” Apps that encourage trusting strangers with your life are also ripe for evil intent — or at least for making unpleasant movies about it.

Ryde, a new taxi service app, is the hot new way to travel in L.A. After inexplicably murderous passenger Paul (David Wachs) kills his driver Carl (Kyle Thomas Schmidt), Paul takes over Carl’s Ryde profile and his sedan, putting anyone who requests a car at risk of being strangled or beaten to death.

There are some nice visuals set to a synth score, and the streets of Los Angeles play a primary role. However, this slick and stylish exterior belies a rotting core underneath. “Ryde” thinks little of its characters or its audience; it’s an exercise in misanthropy with a nasty streak of misogyny running through it. The movie mingles sex and violence, existing purely as a vehicle for director Brian Visciglia to show women’s nudity and a variety of murder methods.

The filmmaker might argue that his work is redeemed by its climax, but the final moments walk back any progress that’s been made, and “Ryde” feels meaningless. We’re unclear about what drives the killer, given that Visciglia didn’t develop his idea past its initial concept.

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