"Hard Miles" starts off with a setback. Social worker Greg Townsend (played by Matthew Modine) asks a judge to let a teenage boy continue living in a residential facility despite his violent behavior. Townsend advocates the boy was defending another, not inciting violence. However, the judge orders a transfer to a heavier-security institution labeled as a “juvenile penitentiary.” This is not Townsend's shortcoming but a failure of a system that more often treats these teenagers as felons instead of potential candidates for redirection.
Townsend believes showing the teens a bigger world could awaken a desire to be part of it, and his technique is a challenging 762-mile biking journey from Colorado to the Grand Canyon. Based on the real-life Greg Townsend who has led numerous young men on such transformative trips, "Hard Miles" balances magnificent landscapes, strenuous physical challenges, rousing motivational speeches, teenage mutiny, intense emotional confrontions and important life lessons for both Townsend and his young wards.
The facility Townsend works at is under threat of closure. Director Skip (Leslie David Baker from "The Office") sees a potential publicity benefit in a hike narrative: “urban delinquents rehabilitated by tall trees and sunlight.” However, Townsend argues for a bike ride. There are several obstacles: the lack of bicycles, managing a group of known offenders, and a lack of enthusiasm or camaraderie among the boys. Townsend's solution is instructing the boys to build their own bike frames, and with a friend who owns a bike shop to provide gears and wheels, they manage to set off.
Townsend's goal is to expose the young men to the awe-inspiring landscapes of Arizona and Colorado, while teaching them what they can achieve and how to be part of a community. As the journey unfolds, it becomes clear that their aggressive behavior is fueled by anger, fear and a warped sense of masculinity. They use ridicule as a form of defense mechanism, mistaking their inability to let go of anger for power. The flaws in character development lean in favor of the adults, obscuring some aspects of Townsend's own backstory regarding his abusive father and ailing brother.
Overall, even though the movie tends to be predictable, the breathtaking scenery and the commitment of adults to see beyond society’s dismissiveness towards these troubled teenagers provide a stirring and different perspective.
