User reviews

The teacher Gail Hartman (Meryl Streep) is facing problems with her marriage with her husband, the workaholic architect Tom Hartman (David Strathairn). On the birthday of their son Roarke (Joseph Mazzello), Gail decides to leave her daughter with her parents and take her family to raft down a wild river where she was a guide. On the departure, a young man named Wade (Kevin Bacon) befriends Roarke and leaves the place with his friends Terry (John C. Reilly) and Frank (William Lucking). Later the family encounters Wade and Terry, who do not have rafting experience, and Gail helps them to cross a whitewater. They get closer to the family and soon Gail and Tom learn a dark secret about Wade and Terry. What will they do to get rid of the men?

Twenty-three years after its release date, "The River Wild" is still a breathtaking film. The story is predictable and corny in some moments, but the action scenes are still impressive. The forty-five year-old Meryl Streep is athletic and looks younger and younger. Unfortunately the DVD does not have making of since the scenes of white-river rafting are amazing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Rio Selvagem" ("The Wild River")

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.

I hadn't heard of this movie until my parents told me about it, and we ended up watching it tonight. I thought it was pretty entertaining! It definitely "feels" like a 90s movie at times, and it can be a bit cheesy, but it doesn't really need to be anything more or less than that in my opinion.

The performances by Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep are great. I loved seeing Bacon play a bad guy, I don't know if I ever have until this point. The story is gripping mostly during the latter half of the movie, the intensity is turned up and there's a pretty solid payoff by the end of it. This movie would be too generic if it weren't for the river setting throughout the whole movie - it really added some memorable moments, and I'm sure I won't be forgetting this one.

Overall, this was a fun time! It has everything that I'd normally look for in a suspenseful/thriller, has likable cast members and throws a spin on a conventional drama, turning it into something memorable and worth giving a look.

Meryl Streep plays a part out of her normal range in Curtis Hanson's 1994 actioner, as an expert whitewater rafter, who has to save herself and her son - eventually with the aid of hubby - from a couple of desperados, who insist on being taken through some awesome rapids. I don't know how much was Streep, how much stunt-double, and how much effects, but her character emerges as a convincing woman of action who is also an anxious mother.

Kevin Bacon is very effective as a regular guy, who just happens to be a psychotic criminal in his off moments; John C Reilly plays his weak, shifty sidekick; and Joseph Mazzello is the son, who initially finds Bacon more fun than his dad. It is David Strathairn, though, who for me takes the male acting honours, as a distant, serious-minded husband and father, who gets going when the going gets tough - though luckily, through thick and thin, he never loses his glasses!

There is more than a touch of Deliverance, and the ending is pre-ordained; but the film is entertaining and gripping throughout, and is aided by some breathtaking Rockies scenery, beautifully shot. (There's a faithful dog too!)

Curtis Hanson's box office hit 'The River Wild' is well-shot and even gripping in parts, but what really stands tall in this thriller and balances the film even when it dips, are the performances by it's talented star-cast.

The story involves a family on a whitewater rafting trip, who encounter two violent criminals in the wilderness.

'The River Wild', which has been written by Denis O'Neill, offers some gripping moments, that truly manage to hold your attention. The characters, are nicely presented and executed. But, I would like to point out, that, the writing in the latter hour tends to drag a bit. The film surely could've been shorter by at least 10-15 minutes. And I believe if it had been trimmed, it's impact would have only enhanced. Curtis Hanson's direction, like always, is efficient. Cinematography is Striking. Editing is fair.

Performance-Wise: Meryl Streep is superb, as expected. She carries the film on her shoulders and delivers with ease in each and every scene. Kevin Bacon makes a really interesting bad guy, and proves his potential as an actor. David Strathaim is first-rate. John C. Reilly is good. Joseph Mazzello supports well.

On the whole, A decent one-time watch, that offers strong performances to sail it safe.

If you love the wild outdoors, fishing, camping and riding a raft down rapids like Niagara Falls, this is definitely your kind of picture. Meryl Streep,(Gail Hartman), earned her salary in this film, not just acting but having to take part in some of the water scenes. Gail Hartman every year visited her parents home and enjoyed camping and water sports. However, Gail's husband was deeply involved with his work and some what disappointed his family the last minute. Kevin Bacon,(Wade) meets up with Gail and takes a great liking to her, as well as, her son and it looks like things are going to work out for a great vacation. What appears like a great story becomes a horrible situation that you will have to find out.

Meryl Streep gets a totally different kind of role in "The River Wild". She and her husband (David Strathairn) and son (Joseph Mazzello, of "Jurassic Park") go on a rafting trip and encounter some guys (Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly) who turn out to be not what they seem.

The obvious similarity is "Deliverance", but I also detected a similarity to "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", the way that Kevin Bacon's character turns the boy against the mother. I once did a boat trip down the Snake River, and some of the rapids here look like what I remember (although the movie may have exaggerated the rapids).

Overall, it's a pretty fun movie. A real jolt of nature, if I may say so. Also starring Benjamin Bratt. Director Curtis Hanson also directed "L.A. Confidential", "Wonder Boys" and "8 Mile".

For a conventional Hollywood adventure story, THE RIVER WILD isn't bad at all. While it lacks the rawness of similarly-themed independent fare and the kind of twists and surprises you'd expect from the best this genre has to offer, it tells the story it sets out to tell with a large amount of success, mainly thanks to the lean script and no-nonsense pacing. Much of the action comes from a series of spectacular white-water rafting sequences in which the stunt team are really put through their paces. These mark the film's highlight. The human plot, involving a couple of hostage-takers, is less spectacular, but the film still gets by thanks to the calibre of the cast.

Meryl Streep, although a little too earnest in some places for my liking, takes plaudits as the outdoors expert who has to use her wits to survive both nature and the evils of mankind. Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly are fine as the no-good criminals, and Benjamin Bratt bags a nice little role as a good-guy ranger. Youngster Joe Mazzello is a more mature presence than in the previous year's JURASSIC PARK, and David Straithairn (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) gets to have some fun as the straight-laced father forced into becoming a hero. Okay, so you know the outcome from the outset (and in a 12-certificate family adventure nothing THAT bad is ever going to happen), but this is nonetheless a mildly entertaining little movie.

THE RIVER WILD is not the most original thriller ever made , it's premise is " a clean cut family bump into a couple of desperate criminals in the sticks and their lives are now in serious danger " but it deserves some credit in not trying to paper over its flaws with ridiculous action sequences or other type of melodramatic plot twists . Perhaps the producers of the recent Jodie Foster thriller FLIGHTPLAN should have watched this to see how a family based thriller should be made ?

Some people may be put off by the fact that there's not much in the way of explosions , car chases or a massive body count and that there's a lot of talking but when you've got a thriller where Kevin Bacon is the bad guy ( And no 1990s movie was complete without Bacon as a bad guy ) if you do have a film that is watchable at the very least . And let me just repeat that this is a film where credibility takes precedence over action . There is a slight flaw where towards the end where one of the characters starts making devices out of stuff lying around ala MCGUYVER but for the most part this is an enjoyable thriller

I'm not sure, but I don't think there is a bigger compliment that you can pay any actor but to say that his/her performance was bigger than the movie itself. It seemed to me that Kevin Bacon was not acting. That Kevin Bacon IS as mean and cruel as the character he portrayed. I cannot see Kevin in any movie without thinking of his performance in River Wild because I really think you're seeing the real deal. Because of that, Kevin was one of the most terrifying movie characters that I have ever experienced.

Seriously, in real life, Kevin Bacon may be a nice guy, may be a sweetheart, may do volunteer work, may go to church regularly, may be a good dad, may be a coach for his daughter's soccer team. I really don't know, but I tell you one thing, if I ever meet Kevin Bacon, I will tell him he gave an outstanding performance in this movie. And while I am in his company, I will NEVER turn my back on him. He just spooks me out and will always do so. what greater compliment is there? I thought this movie was extremely well cast. I know the ending is predictable, but the best thing about this movie is that it is believable. Anyone of us could have been stuck in that situation. Ever go up an elevator with a person who you feel uncomfortable with? If the elevator gets stuck... what do you do? This is basically the same as the movie. Most movies either have a totally unbelievable theme or something happens in the movie that is totally illogical. In this movie, however, every thing that happens is believable and could have happened to you.

still Bacon scares the hell out of me

Tom Hartman (David Strathairn) cancels on his son birthday once again. Gail (Meryl Streep) takes the kids on the trip by herself. Gail is sure that their marriage is over. She's a former river guide, and takes her son Roarke rafting down to their family home. They meet Wade (Kevin Bacon), and his friend Terry (John C. Reilly) at the river. Then Tom surprises everyone by coming.

It would be better if the guys weren't such obvious villains. It could be a better surprise. And the reveal could be done earlier. With the obvious twist coming, the tension isn't really there. It just doesn't have enough intrigue. It is always a matter of tones, and how obvious the clues should be. It would be much better to concentrate on the flirting instead. The biggest problem is that it makes Gail look stupid especially with all her giggling. It is however interesting to see Streep take on something physical and really stretch into unknown territory.

One of those films that makes you wonder "why?"

Why, if Streep's husband could *run* past the dreaded Gauntlet rapids, couldn't the bad guys just *walk*?? Why did the cop turn up for no apparent reason except to provide someone expendable for Kevin Bacon to shoot?? Why did that gun fire first time after (repeatedly) falling in the river??? Why did the dog reappear only to play no part whatever in the plot? And why did Streep give even a second thought to the cheesy character of 'Whitewater' Gail??

And why didn't the critics pan it more thoroughly?

To celebrate her son Roarke's birthday and help build his relationship with his father (and her), Gail takes the family unit up to where she used to work as a river guide for a bit of white water rafting. Once there they meet another group heading down river and, when Wade and Terry lose their guide, Gail agrees to let them follow them in their own boat. However when Gail and Tom begin to feel uncomfortable with their guests they try to slip away unnoticed – only for Wade to pull a gun and insist that Gail will help them proceed downriver and cross the legendary Gauntlet.

I first watched this when it came out in the cinema and I remember enjoying it. However noticing it back on television recently I couldn't help but be a little uninterested in it and wondered if I had just false memories of how good it really had been and so decided to watch it again and see. After a slow opening the film gets down to business with the two boats getting together and gradually going to the conclusion that we know is coming but enjoy heading towards anyway. The film delivers its straightforward plot well in the early stages, using the father-figure conflict well (even if it ignores the heavy feminist subtext) to generate the tension, while the later stages is more of a simple hostage thriller sort of affair. This aspect is still quite enjoyable even if it is not as tight as it really needed to be and, as a non-rafter, I wasn't sure how intimidated I was meant to be by the load of water that was the gauntlet.

As a result, the film is a little talky but the cast are able to deal with it and it is really only the clunky, slow start that suffers as a result. I'm not a big fan of Meryl Streep and I didn't think she was totally fitted to the material given her but mostly her performance was natural enough to be convincing. Strathairn plays second fiddle to Streep but he is still enjoyable as he delivers an insecure character. With these two big names in the lead it would have been easy for them to dominate but it is Kevin Bacon that steals the film with a charismatic performance that he easily turns into menace – hardly his greatest performance but he makes more of it than others have in the past. Mazzello is a typical 'cute kid' American actor but he is good enough for this material and he is pretty good in the first half when he is given the material. Reilly and Bratt add some well-known faces to the mix but really neither has that much to do.

Overall this is not a great film but it is good enough to be worth seeing once. The action is not typical for this genre and the novelty value of it makes it seem more interesting. The film looks good and it is tense enough to do the job while the plot gets past the slow start to deliver an interesting set up and a solid enough series of set pieces with a good cast and director onboard (sorry!).

"The River Wild" isn't among the best or most exciting thriller/action movies ever made but it's a very well made one by acclaimed director Curtis Hanson and with a great cast.

A movie set entirely on a river, with as the central piece of the movie a family, complete with kids and a dog. How exciting does that sound? It sound like a 'based on true events' Hallmark type of movie. But don't be fooled. "The River Wild" is a movie that has plenty to offer, despite its very restrained concept and settings of the movie.

The movie is also more original than you perhaps would expect. The movie also does a fair job at keeping things sort of a mystery for a long time. I especially like how 'the bad guys' try to set up the family against each other to create disorder and different camps, of which they can profit from for their own benefit. It's perhaps not as good and prominently executed as it could had but nevertheless the movie gets points for the attempt, that also I must say mostly works out due to Kevin Bacon's fine role.

Watching this movie sort of makes you think what a shame it is that Bacon doesn't really play villainous roles anymore. He only played these sort of roles in the early '90's, though he had an obvious talent for it. Not that he plays crappy roles now but nevertheless it remains a shame he doesn't play more often the bad guy. He is perfectly good in his role in this movie. He knows to portray a likable character that you're also able to hate at times. A real achievement. But also credits have to go to Meryl Streep, who plays a fine strong female lead and other great actors such as David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello and John C. Reilly.

Despite that it's not the most exciting movie in its genre it still is one that is always fast going and never boring to watch. The movie mostly features nature action, set on the river. So it's a pretty original movie in its genre but I don't know, movies set at mostly the same locations are just never among my favorite or most exciting ones to watch, such as for instance in my personal experience also was the case with movies such as "Speed" and "Phone Booth".

The movie is of course a great looking, thanks to its nature settings. Also the musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is really worth mentioning.

It's just a fine movie, that is perfectly put together and has a great cast but it's just not the finest exciting genre movie thinkable and it perhaps is also a bit too simplistic, also due to its restraints.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

The River wild Is an amazing film!! There's action all the way when they finally get into the boat, And from then on, Its breath taking!! A family go on a boating holiday with their dog but it soon turns out to be a nightmare, as they pick up two robbers who killed their guide. The robbers want to go down stream, but that means they have to ride some rapids which no-one have ever survived riding. Its a winner.

This is a good suspense film that you can watch with your family. The outdoor scenery is beautiful and the white water rafting action is intense. It's got a great all-star cast and Kevin Bacon shines as the antagonist. I was impressed by Meryl Streep's rowing ability. Some important lessons can be taught to children here about stranger danger.

When I first saw this movie, I rented it because my dad said he had saw it and he recommended it, in which I did and I was totally surprised and blown away by the performances in this movie. This movie had a decent plot about a family taking a vacation in the Rockies and happen to meet up with a friendly guy at first but when the family tries to run out on him during the trip because of a couple of conflicts, he takes matters into his own hands and takes them hostage, along for the ride. Wade (Kevin Bacon) as the bad guy scared me because you would never know what he would do next, even though he mostly focused on getting out and being cleared of trouble then killing a lot of people, like some guy on a rampage and his sidekick Terry (John C. Reilly) really was a ignoring sidekick, not much dialouge with his character but he was really a klutz in standing guard and how to control the family.

The family played by Gail (Meryl Streep) the mom, Tom (David Strathairn) the dad and Roarke (Joseph Mazzello) the son showed a very good performance in this movie and had the brightest concepts of escaping danger, things from sign language to swiss army knife and to smoke signals really kept the movie alive and it was spectacular.

I do recommend this movie to anyone who is a Kevin Bacon fan, I have been for a while and I love his movies, this movie is very suspenseful and will keep your heart beating to the end, It was worth renting a good adventurous thriller set in the Rockies, Just a very good 112 minutes of sitting on the edge of your seat.

I watched The River Wild mainly for two reasons. The first one was incredibly talented young actor named Joseph Mazello, while the second was Kevin Bacon, also very good and underrated actor in my opinion. I expected just an average thriller or something like that but this movie managed to surpass my expectations. Though it wasn't a great or Oscar-worthy movie I found The River Wild mostly good and entertained, worth seeing movie. The story is concentrated on average dysfunctional family with workaholic father, who have almost lost a contact with his wife and two kids. They undertake a raft journey on vacation to celebrate their eldest son, Rourke birthday and in the same time trying to save their dying marriage. This at first calm and beautiful journey gets unexpectedly dangerous when the family meet on their way two strangers (played by Kevin Bacon and John C.Reilly), who also for their own reasons go to a journey with the same route. The story is not flawless and has some plot holes but overall it's not bad written. Well, maybe it's quite predictable but I don't think that such predictability harmed the movie too much. The acting overall was pretty good. To my surprise somehow happened that Meryl Streep became a weakest part in this excellent cast ensemble. I think she was a bit unconvincing as careful mother as well as a strong rafter. Another problem is that her character (Gail) is not developed as much as the movie needs it. For unknown reasons she got even a Golden Globe nomination for this movie but anyway The River Wild definitely is not among her best works. David Straithairn is much better playing Gail's husband and Roarke's father. Kevin Bacon is brilliant as evil, psychotic villain, while John C.Reilly gave decent performance of his diffident, weak-willed sidekick. And finally Joseph Mazello, the most talented actor among entire casts in the movie. His part didn't give him many opportunities to show his talent but in those short moments his acting was beautiful and he was able to overshadow others. Despite all these very good performances the most exceptional thing about The River Wild is not the good acting but a beautiful scenery and excellent cinematography that have captured it. Even only this terrific scenery, filmed somewhere in Oregon, is enough to make this movie worth seeing. It's simply beyond my words. Finally, it is worth to mention nice score, written by Jerry Goldmith, with excellent main theme.

In the conclusion The River Wild is not great but quite a good movie, with good casts, acting and one of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. My grade 7,5 or B.

The River wild is a fantastic movie which shows Kevin Bacon at his best as a psycho. The plot is interesting and the movie always makes me glued to the TV. Plenty of action and it's quite intense as well, with the river making the film more exciting. You must see this movie! Go out and rent it now!

89%

The best actress of them all was in this exciting film. Admittedly, the story was an old one with the usual predictable ending, but I love just about anything with Streep in it. She is so believable in her parts. Kevin Bacon acted the part of a psycho very well. The sequences shot at the waterfalls kept the adrenaline flowing in this fast paced thriller.

A very enjoyable movie played thrillingly and convincingly by the very good cast with outstanding river rapids and outdoor photography, show of courage, a little to average suspension of disbelief, big chunks of development and more thrilling "adventures" saving your family than in most alike productions.

Strangely, despite having crime level vibes and some serious moments, it's more of an adventure and spirit-loaded mini quest for survival. The very ending could have been more extended, showing for a few minutes their "normal" lives after their trip.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
• Development: 7
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7.5
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 7
• Depth: 7
• Logic: 5
• Flow: 7.5
• Adventure/crime/thriller: 6.5
• Ending: 6.

If Meryl Streep were not in this movie it would have been much better. She is seriously talented but badly miscast in this role and did it indeed badly. Kevin Bacon is good as the psycho and David Strathairn is his usual excellent self in a supporting role. But we see way too much of Streep doing her "I'm a great actress so this must be good" routine dragging down the story. See Glen Close in Fatal Attraction to see a great actress working the role rather than a good actress ruining the piece as Streep does here.