Review of The River Wild (1994) by Stcenterprise . — 30 Dec 2012
Directed by Curtis Hanson, then hot off making The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), he chose this action-adventure-thriller, which owes a debt of gratitude to Deliverance (1972). It was a change of pace for it's star, who was known for most prestigious dramas, this was a chance to prove she could kick ass in a dangerous situation, and she was backed up by a good cast and suspenseful directing.
Married couple Gail (Meryl Streep) and Tom (David Strathairn) are having troubles in their marriage, Tom is too attached to work, and can never make time for his family. Gail decides to get away from it by taking their son Roarke (Joseph Mazzello) on a rafting holiday down the Salmon River in Idaho, yet Tom is able to join them at the last minute, but he doesn't show much enthusiasm in the holiday.
However on the river, they meet fellow rafters Wade (Kevin Bacon) and Terry (John C. Reilly), who appear to be friendly, but Gail and Tom discover a dark truth about the pair, and they also face dangerous rapids on the Salmon River to top all that off.
The river action is well filmed, even if shooting it all was reported to be a neverending nightmare. But, Hanson gets the best from his cast, he handles the action and action well. It's a different side to Streep, and Bacon showed a nasty side with this one, but one that's compelling.
This review of The River Wild (1994) was written by Stcenterprise . on 30 Dec 2012.
The River Wild has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
