Hard Miles

6/7/2024

Matthew Modine is quite effective here as the cycling-obsessed Doug Townsend. By day, he's a sort of hybrid between a prison officer and social worker for young men in various stages of the criminal justice system. He is about to go on two week trip cycling the 700-odd miles to the Grand Canyon but their facility is under constant funding threat and they need something that will make a "splash". He leads a welding class of four disparate lads who each have their own problems and who could pick a fight with Mother Theresa! Then he hits on an idea to get them to make their own bikes. His boss and his colleague "Haddie" (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams) are somewhat sceptical of his next suggestion. He takes them all along on his trip. She had already been involved in a disabling altercation at work,

6/16/2025

Being obsessed with bicycles, I have 3 in the apartment, obviously I liked the movie. But the film is not necessarily about bicycles, as much as young people with problems. Cycling can solve these problems. Especially cycling in nature. And Grand Canyon is truly the perfect backdrop for such adventure. So nature + bike = adventure and emotional healing.