Review of The River Wild (1994) by David G — 01 Jul 2011

Excellent thriller about a fractured family that unifies under adversity during a rafting vacation in Idaho. Meryl Streep stars as Gail, a white water rafting expert who takes her son Roarke (Joseph Mazzello) on a trip down the Salmon River for his birthday, a trip her workaholic husband Tom (David Strathairn) chooses to forgo, leaving her in doubt as to the future of their marriage. Tom does eventually turn up but the situation remains frosty. Marital problems are quickly forgotten however when the family picks up two stranded men named Wade and Terry (Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly) who turn out to be armed robbers making their escape. Forced at gunpoint to ferry the criminals downriver, Gail must use her wits to save the day, aided by a fanatically determined Tom, now on foot having been forced to escape after realising he was expendable.

The film takes its time in establishing the characters before the meat of the plot begins, which leaves us emotionally invested in what's happening. Each of the characters - hero and villain - is very well written with individual strengths and weaknesses and the cast play them to perfection. Meryl Streep is a natural as troubled but tough mother Gail while David Strathairn is terrific as Tom - an ordinary joe who has to step up to the plate when his family needs him. Kevin Bacon is both charming and sinister as deceptive crook Wade - "I am a nice guy. Just a different kind of nice guy.".

A beautifully shot film with wonderful scenery, engaging story, interesting themes and well-rounded characters. A few minor nitpicks (how is Tom keeping up with the raft?) but nothing serious.