Watch The River Wild For Free

You won't be disappointed!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Not a great film by any means, but what a river! The river is the true star, and I suppose you have to put that down to good photography and camera work. At no point in the film did I doubt that the people were actually in the boat, on the river, and in danger. There are few surprises. Nothing in the film is unexpected. I won't go as far as to tell you whether the family escaped the villains, or what happened to them, so you will have to find out for yourself. Meryl Streep's performance is adequate, but not exceptional, and occasionally annoying. I found myself wanting Kevin Bacon's character to shoot her on more than one occasion. There is a little tension generated by the fact that the criminal is more manly than the wimpy, hard working husband and inattentive father, but that is soon cleared up, and the sides are clearly drawn. The father eventually shows himself to have an alternative identity as some kind of Indian Super-Brave, smoke signals and everything. I kid you not. Worth watching if you want to watch a family film along Disney lines.

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.

Gail (Meryl Streep) is a white water rafting guide. She, husband Tom (David Strathairn) and son Roarke (Joseph Mazello) are kidnapped by robbers Wade (Kevin Bacon) and Terry (John C Reilly), who see rafting down the river as an effective escape route.It's pretty easy to understand the casting decisions for Bacon, Reilly and Strathairn, but Streep isn't the most obvious choice for action Mom Gail. Yet, as usual, she is superb (as is everyone else). The underlying marital problems give her a great deal to get her teeth into, but she also excels as the woman called upon to be a protective mother, a defiant hostage and someone on whose expertise on the river everyone's survival depends. Bacon is gloriously evil, a happy-go-lucky psychopath who is always a credible threat.And the action is terrific - lots of it, spectacular, beautiful, and clearly involving the actors a lot of the time, it makes this film a most enjoyable roller coaster ride (or white water rafting ride, I should say), and a movie which should have a higher profile than it has.

This is like a Summer blockbuster. Only a more predictable kind of blockbuster. It isn't too groundbreaking and doesn't reserve many surprises, but it should please those who can live with that. In theory, its plot doesn't sound especially promising, but in practice it works reasonably... if you give yourself (and the movie) a chance, of course.Mostly this is adventure, but there is acceptable amount of suspense and thriller. Plus, the ending (to be more precise, the last 20 minutes or so) is a roller-coaster of intensity, thanks to the breathtaking (and very dangerous!) rafting scenes in the most fierce part of the river.Overall, this is a decent Summer movie - good to be watched anytime of the year, but particularly in hot weather.True, the plot has a certain lack of strength but it's still okay. Besides, the beautiful cinematography compensates any plot flaws. That alone makes this movie attractive and refreshing to the eyes and mind.Kevin Bacon makes a convincing lead bad guy. Meryl Streep, despite her versatility, isn't often seen in this genre of movies (at least I don't remember so), which makes this movie a different attempt for her. Her performance isn't as solid as in 'Kramer vs Kramer', but she still makes it fine.Joseph Mazzello, as usual, is fine. Joseph Mazzello even has an awesome name here, if not particularly pretty: Roarke.