RiversEdge

River’s Edge (1986)

Well this certainly is a departure for me to review something like River’s Edge. The movie is about three friends who all live in a rural town in an unnamed part of the country. You have Matt, who is your average stoner with family issues. Layne is a speed freak with delusions of honor and friendship. Finally there is Samson, who has some anger issues and is seen sitting beside the body of a nude girl in the opening of the movie. At first no one believes Samson when he shows up at school saying that he has killed one of their mutual friends, but then he takes Layne and Matt to see the body. They in turn take even more of their friends to see the body. Layne wants to protect Samson and tries to get them to help him bury the body, but Matt secretly calls the cops. The rest of the film is Layne trying to get Samson out of town. Toss in the town’s paranoid, blow up doll loving drug dealer and Matt’s angry younger brother with homicide on his mind and you have the River’s Edge.

This is a marvelous and simple story that takes it’s time developing great characters and allows the story to just unfold. Other than the murder, which happens even before the movie starts, nothing happens other then characters interacting with each other. This gives the cast plenty of time to work on their characters and makes for some great performances. From Keanu Reeves as Matt, probably the most normal and therefore least interesting character to Crispin Glover’s speed freak Layne the characters are all realistic. Hell even Daniel Roebuck’s performance as the murder Samson is realistic and because of that sort of disturbing and scary. I think most of us knew that guy in high school that had anger control issues and could be scary, that is Samson. The only real over the top character in the whole movie is Feck the drug dealer, played by Dennis Hopper. But even then in the end he does something so understandable and human that in spite of the violence it seems the kindest thing. I know I’m being a bit vague here, but I don’t want to ruin the film for anyone that hasn’t seen it yet. Just trust me when I say that these are some of the best characters I’ve ever seen brought to the screen.

The movie is professionally put together and looks fine. While there are some killings they all occur before the movie starts or off screen. Other than one dead body there isn’t any gore, but then this isn’t that kind of movie. There are a couple of scenes shot at night and in the early morning that capture a sort of emptiness that fits nicely with the characters and story. This all helps to maintain the feeling of the film and only add to an already great movie.

I loved this movie in high school and college. After not having seen it for almost 20 years I can say that it still works for me. I recommend that anyone interested in checking out a wonderful, but serious movie, get themselves a copy of River’s Edge.

3 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer