River Wild 2023 is a fairly thrilling Netflix movie. There are definitely some parts where it lingers too long on dialogue and stock footage of northern American wilderness but otherwise its fast pace keeps your attention. There's plenty of action, combat, and white water rafting.
The story is fairly standard, an unhinged ex-con gets into trouble on a camping trip and goes on a crime spree trying to avoid jail. You only really care about the two main characters, Gray and Joey, because they're the only ones with character arcs. There are a few plot holes here and there, a couple really dumb decisions that'd give a cheesy slasher a run for its money. So if you're easily frustrated by dumb people in horror movies, best to avoid River Wild. I didn't mind it as a fan of shlocky horror.
All-in-all, the stunts are good, pretty scenic shots, well-choreographed fistfights, thrilling life or death situations. I wish they spent more time white water rafting, but otherwise it's an enjoyable high-stakes thriller netflix original.