Review of White Water Summer (1987) by Joshua M — 15 Jun 2010

Filmed in 1985, and dumped into a handful of theaters 2 years later, grossing less that one million dollars at the box office, this is probably the least known Kevin Bacon movie ever. Bacon plays a driven outdoorsman who takes groups of young men up into the mountains to learn how to survive.

He also happens to be a boderline sociopath. When one kid, played by Sean Astin, continually challenges Bacon's leadership, things take a dangerous, even violent turn. A strong support cast of young actors makes for believable characters that involve you in the story.

There's also tremendous cinematography of the wilderness and mountainsides. A lively, if very dated, 80's soundtrack keeps things moving, and keep the goings on from becoming TOO heavy handed.

Bacon gives a strong performance, but it's also the weak link in the chain, because we never really know if his character is trying to teach the boys to survive on their own wits...or flat out insane.

But for anyone who is a fan of the outdoors, the visuals are more than enough to sustain you for the ride.