The River Wild

DVD, The River Wild (1994) film

No stopping and no turning back... the vacation is over.

You know when a film's this good, because it doesn't matter how many times you've seen it, it still impresses. You may know most of the lines, and the entire outcome, but if it's this good it can still take you on the journey. And this is a journey in more than one way - aside from the obvious trials of the river, there is the journey a family takes to heal itself and come back together. There are the separate journeys each character takes, such as Tom and Maggie; Wade and Terry; Gail and Rourke.

The film is as much about triumph over adversity, as adversary. The latter a battle of the mind as well as the body for some characters. Early on, a strong scene between Gail and her mother starts the ball rolling with her view that marriage is for life and there should be no 'out' as she puts it. And she's right, the younger generations don't know what 'difficult' is (rationing, war, etc!), and I can imagine this being a scene that might very well end up on the 'deleted extras' segment of modern DVDs because it's with a minor character commenting on something in a way that is not immediate and plot-moving. But it's a nice scene, and does help to show the damage of Gail and Tom's marriage.

At first this is the main conflict, the age-old one between husband and wife, as well as between Rourke and his father, who feels inadequate and unnecessary. But the young boy couldn't understand that and only sees a Dad who is slipping away from him and doesn't have time for him, doesn't let him do the things he wants to. As events progress Rourke comes to see that his father is a hero, and while he tastes the guilty pleasures of holding a gun, being given a load of money, and hanging out with the big boys, he comes to realise that his Dad cares for him, while Wade does not.

The adversarial streak runs through Wade's interactions with Frank, who ends up dead (the second man Wade kills), and continues to a much lesser degree with Terry, though he never has the guts to pull away from Wade's grip. He is unhappy with harming people, but knows Wade is cleverer than him, and he has a kind of childlike view of things, as evidenced by the way he tries to explain his actions to Rourke, assuming the boy will understand. It's not that he's stupid, but he isn't brainy, and goes along all too easily with the slightly mean Wade.

The biggest conflict is the battle of wills between Gail and Wade. He needs her, and in some ways she gains the upper hand - once Tom is out of the picture she dares him to do what he wants with her, as he's been boasting, but her will is stronger. It just happens he has the gun. Ultimately the river is the biggest adversary, bringing the enemies together, at least for the time they are traversing the rapids, banding them into a unit for survival. The exhilaration they experience together could almost seem like the joy of friends, though it is short-lived.

The film is extremely well directed with incredible, real shots of the white water rafting. The sight of huge rocks speeding towards camera is amazing (Terry almost scuppers their progress by trying to hide from these dangers when he's needed to paddle and so avoid collision!), and many shots are used to convey the terror, anger, and deadly beauty of the rushing waters. I particularly love the helicopter shots that sweep along the river's course, over their heads and reveal what's round the next bend - even worse danger to come.

The music by the great Jerry Goldsmith (well-known for his 'Star Trek' music - I noticed another musical 'Star Trek' connection - Alexander Courage who created the iconic original theme music for that series orchestrated this film's score!) swings the mood from gentle awe in the vein of the landscapes from 'The Lord of The Rings', to the mounting tension of their attempt to ditch Wade and Terry, to the battle-like drum beats as the most dangerous parts of The Gauntlet are approached, lifting the visuals as great music does.

So, great filming, great music, great scripting, and most of all great actors doing very real and believable roles. Every actor rises to the challenge (even physically as much of the stunt work was achieved by the actors themselves!), with nuance and subtlety, making the slide into disaster real. Even Joseph Mazello as the young Rourke evokes the true mannerisms and inflection of a boy caught up in that situation. And Maggie the dog gives a performance that's far from paw! It's a great moment when she obeys her master and leaps into the river, after ignoring him for much of the film, signifying his descent into a stranger after the marriage begins to fail. He's patched it up with the dog, and the whole family isn't far behind.

The reconciliation that occurs through these events, the desperate last moments, and the happy, but logical ending mark this as more than a standard thriller - it's an absolute classic, an excellent film. I'd recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible as it really makes a difference. I was able to see more details such as the fiddler on the rock at Bridal Creek, or the background people. The intensity of the film is aided by the reliance on a small band of characters, but even the smaller roles such as Ranger Johnny and Gail's parents are notably well-crafted performances. One to show any unbelievers who think anything made before the dawn of CGI isn't worth bothering with!

*****