The River Wild (1994)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer (WGA):

Denis O'Neill (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

The vacation is over

Plot:

Meryl Streep takes on a pair of armed killers while navigating a spectacularly violent river.

Plot Keywords:

River | Rafting | White Water Rafting | Knife | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Gail Hartman
Kevin Bacon	...	Wade
David Strathairn	...	Tom Hartman
Joseph Mazzello	...	Roarke Hartman
John C. Reilly	...	Terry
Benjamin Bratt	...	Ranger Johnny
Elizabeth Hoffman	...	Gail's Mother
William Lucking	...	Frank
Stephanie Sawyer	...	Willa Hartman
Victor Galloway	...	Gail's Father (as Victor H. Galloway)
Diane Delano	...	Ranger
Thomas F. Duffy	...	Ranger
Paul Cantelon	...	Violinist
Glenn Morshower	...	Policeman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and threatening moments.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

David Foster Productions

Trivia:

An exhausted Meryl Streep balked when director Curtis Hanson asked her to shoot one more scene before filming finished for the end of the day, however, she decided to attempt it. Swept off the raft, she was in real danger of drowning before she was rescued. Returning upriver, she told a pale and shaking Hanson that "in the future, when I say I can't do something, I think we should believe me." Hanson hastily agreed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the family is entering the boat for the first time on commencement of the trip, Meryl Streep wears jeans. In the next shot of her setting off in the boat she is in shorts.

Quotes:

Wade: I'm in charge now. I could bury you and Roarke tonight. I could do anything I want with you.
Gail: Then go ahead. Don't keep telling me how tough you are, Wade, just show me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mad About You: Outbreak (#5.7)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Cope

There's much more beneath the surface of this story than you may expect

This movie is highly entertaining. Bacon is so mean that I sometimes also feel antipathy for the characters he plays in other films. And Meryl Streep is convincing in her first action role. The script didn't give Mazzello any great moments but he is good as ever. The only sad thing is that you always know the story will have a happy ending. But you can't blame the film for that for you would never expect that the killers win. That would be too depressing for a film made in Hollywood. And the story is depressing enough at some moments because there is a strong psychological tension and death is always threatening the family members. The duel between the mother and the killer is extremely well made. This movie is much more than you would expect from an action film. Add to that rafting scenes that are so full of action and movement that you almost get a heart attack! That is entertainment!