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

Color:

Color

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: Raft goes through huge rapid, drops over the falls and should be full of water and have to be bailed. A minute later when the raft is lifted by the cable it is dry.

Quotes:

Policeman: What happened?
Roarke: My mom got us down the river.
Policeman: How about your dad? What did he do?
Roarke: He saved our lives.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Run Away, Little Boy (#2.9)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Dollar Bill

Well-done and well-acted family thriller

River Wild is not really great or thrilling, but it's very entertaining due to the good acting by the entire cast and the beautiful nature scenery. I thought the relationships between all the characters and how they gradually change was the most believable and interesting part. How Kevin Bacon's character first strikes a bonding with the son, in order to win Meryl Streep's trust, and how this friendly atmosphere slowly glides to threat was very realistic. The only really annoying scene was the last one, where one police officer asks the son "What did your father do?", to which he replies "My father saved our lives". What a heroic, pathetic conversation after having survived such a life-threatening nightmare! All in all, this movie is recommendable, but you shouldn't expect too much.