Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
A small group of people must survive a harrowing experience in a unique environment while slowly learning that someone or something can’t be trusted. It becomes a fight for survival and the characters are pushed to limits they didn’t know they could emotionally or physically cross.
“Follows a pair of siblings who love but distrust each other as they embark on a white-water rafting trip with a small group. One of their friends from childhood turns out to be more dangerous than he appears.”
Director: Ben Ketai
Writers: Ben Ketai, Mike Nguyen, Denis O’Neill
Starring: Taran Killam, Adam Brody, Olivia Swann, Eve Connolly
Release Date: August 1, 2023
IMDB
This one is courtesy of The Big Picture. I am not sure if it was Chris Ryan or Sean Fennessey, but one of these two junk movie lovers put out the recommendation for River Wild (2023) and I was happy to nibble on the bait.
Turns out I took a huge chunk because River Wild is a perfect formula for my form of mindless entertainment.
A small group of people must survive a harrowing experience in a unique environment while slowly learning that someone or something can’t be trusted. It becomes a fight for survival and the characters are pushed to limits they didn’t know they could emotionally or physically cross.
Yes, put all of that in an IV and shoot me up with it. This is the exact type of slop I eat for breakfast.
Gray (Taran Killam) runs a white water rafting excursion and joining him on his latest adventure is his little sister Joey (Leighton Meester). Also packing for a three day water-filled excursion is Trevor (Adam Brody), an honorary brother to both Gary and Joey.
These three are acting as guides for two vacationing friends Karissa (Olivia Swann) and Van (Eve Connolly). Everyone is looking to have a grand old time in nature, but the rollicking good times hit a snag when Van is found on the ground with a severe head wound.
There is a race against time to make sure Van can get the help she needs, but uneasiness has muddied Joey and Karissa’s mind when Van tells them that it is Trevor who caused her fall. Seeing how Trevor looks and acts the stereotypical part of a criminal, and has spent time in prison, the accusations are damning.There are also truths unfurled later in the story that shed light as to why Joey immediately takes Van’s words to heart.
River WIld moves at a brisk pace and the current of chaos is propelled by Trevor’s fracturing relationship with Gray and Joey. He is desperate not to go back to prison, a stint that he took on behalf of his friend who desperately needed his cover. The measures he takes to ensure himself freedom are drastic, and it’s a bumpy ride the entire way.
River Wild is no joke. It’s rated PG-13, but the brutality of this movie hits you like a suprise uppercut to the jaw. The energy brought forth by Adam Brody is erratic and his willingness to let his killer freak flag fly is commendable. His character being the bad guy isn’t the most surprising thing in the world, but the quick turn to madness sustained with the willingness to pull the trigger makes the character Trevor worth investing in.
The most devastating scene of the movie is not Van (Eve Connolly) cracking her skull and dying (eventually). It isn’t an unsuspecting park ranger being murdered unsuspectedly. The most impactful scene of River Wild doesn’t even take place on the river.
Trevor has his victims tied up to a log in the middle of the woods. Gray and Joey are awake and stirring. With silence all around them and only their thoughts to keep them company, Joey shares a dark hidden secret that Trevor had his way with her when she was 15 years old. Gray is perplexed. He states that he thought Joey liked him, and he thought that it was what she wanted. Credit to Killam for wearing the pain on his face. The revelation makes sense of events that had already transpired in the movie. The truth being shared illuminates how Joey trusted Van when she gasped that Trevor grabbed her which led to her injury.
Listen, River Wild is not going to win any awards. On face value, it may not be a very good movie. But River Wild is the type of movie hanging in a video store that I would gravitate toward. It’s the type of movie in a five dollar Walmart bucket near the checkout. And guess what, I would pick it up and look at it every single time.
For those interested in two viewing experiences of River Wild, this rendition on Netflix currently is a remake of a 1994 movie starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon and David Strathairn (Jesus Christ, that’s Jason Bourne).
Thank you Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan. Thank you for bringing River Wild to my attention.
River Wild is streaming on Netflix.
STANKO RATING: B+
Stanko Excel Lists | Movies, Books, Podcasts. TV Shows
Stanko Letterdbox Account
There is a lot happening in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. One could argue that there is too much going on.
Much maligned as the worst of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible II doesn’t do itself any favors upon rewatch.
MaXXXine (2024) “In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.” Director: Ti WestWriter: Ti WestCast: Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, Lily Collins, Kevin Bacon, Bob Cannavale, Michelle…
Stanko's Stance 
12 Comments »