The River Wild . Tucson Weekly . 01-05-95

The River Wild

DIRECTED BY: Curtis Hanson

REVIEWED: 01-05-95

If Disney re-made Deliverance, this is what they might have come up with: a likable but rarely exciting thriller about a family taken hostage by fugitives during a river-rafting expedition. Meryl Streep makes her action-movie debut playing a tough mama and with the exception of a few embarrassing over-the-top moments, she's a fine choice. So are David Strathairn, as Streep's aloof workaholic husband, and Kevin Bacon, as a gun-weilding bad guy with a shit-eating grin. Too bad such high-grade actors are wasted on a typical fight-the-villains-to-save-the-family-unit story. It's a good-looking River, but rather shallow.

--Zachary Woodruff

Other Films by Curtis Hanson
L.A. Confidential

Film Vault Suggested Links
True Crime
Fools Gold
Blood and Wine

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