Under L.A.'s ocher-lit night sky, a distant car rolls to a stop beside a
rushing storm drain, whereupon its driver discharges a body from the
trunk. RYDE, on Amazon Prime, refers to a taxi-hailing service of the
Uber/Lyft sort, and wants to leave you wary of such. Because this
suspense-horror plasters its writer-director's name all over the opening
credits, I expected an amateurish effort might follow. Instead, I got a
surprisingly well-executed indie that nurtures my continued hope for
undiscovered talent. Two major caveats for this flick, though: 1) many
will find it unforgivably violent, and 2) the payoff it seems to promise
emerges as inexplicably wan. Still, odd ducks being an endangered
species, this one is somewhat recommended.