The River Wild (PG-13)

It’s not often that the setting for a film overshadows the movie itself in terms of pure perfection. Filmed in the breathtaking Kootenay River in Montana, the 1994 action thriller “The River Wild” features a straight up plot with little in the way of intrigue or deep dimensional story-lines. In pure ’90s fashion, “The River Wild” sets out its characters from the start like pawns on a chess board – identifying one side versus another before putting them together and letting the outcome play out.

Rafting expert Gail (Meryl Streep) and her son Roarke (Joseph Mazzello) depart Boston for Gail’s small hometown in Idaho. Gail plans to take Roarke on a birthday trip down the Salmon River where she used to ride in her younger days. Gail has been having marital issues with her husband Tom (David Strathairn) due to his constant working but at the last minute, Tom shocks the family by showing up to join them, just minutes before they depart. On the river, the family encounters fellow rafters Wade (Kevin Bacon) and Terry (John C. Reilly) the former of which begins to flirt with Gail and quickly becomes an idol figure to Roarke, causing further division between Tom and his family.

The buildup and tension are slow as you watch the rafting trip and several encounters between the two vessels. You would have to be clueless not to know from jump that Wade and Terry are criminals of some kind and eventually the plot is displayed; Wade and Terry have committed a robbery in which a security guard was killed and are now attempting to escape down river from the authorities with the cash in tow.

Since the river boasts perilous twists and dangerous rapids, Gail’s expertise is needed for the escape, whether she wants to assist or not.

“The River Wild” is thrilling at times, but more often than not moves with the speed of a dry creek. You know what’s going to happen but the journey seems to take forever to get there. Since his role as Ray McDeere in John Grisham’s “The Firm,” David Strathairn has been one of my favorite actors. His low-key personality make him thoroughly believable as a big city man lost in the backwoods wilderness his wife is accustomed to from birth. Strathairn takes the reigns as the unsuspecting hero whose appearance on the trip turns from saving his marriage to saving his wife and son’s lives. (Check out Strathairn in the baseball classic “Eight Men Out“).

Kevin Bacon is solid as a villain but comes across as a bit cheesy at times. The shocker comes from the solid acting of John C. Reilly, known recently for goofy roles in “Talladega Nights” and “Step Brothers,” Reilly masters the role of second fiddle to Bacon in a genuine way.

“The River Wild” has a gorgeous backdrop that will probably make you want to go camping for a weekend, or at least take a hike down a nature trail. As far as a movie goes, it’s decent, though not something I would want to sit through again.

– by Matt Christopher