Meryl Streep,
Kevin Bacon,
David Strathairn,
Joseph Mazzello,
John C. Reilly
... see more 
In a change-of-pace role designed to prove that she could carry high-concept genre films as well as character-driven dramas, Meryl Streep headlined this fast-paced adventure as Gail, a whitewater raft... read more
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Release Date: September 30, 1994
Keywords:
meryl streep,
kevin bacon,
white water,
river wild,
Meryl Streep ,
Kevin Bacon ,
Curtis Hanson ,
David Strathairn
DVD Release Date: November 1, 1998
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Stats: 1,102 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (1,102)
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January 16, 2012Thriller about robbers who kidnap a family to help him escape down river. Good cast.
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September 10, 2009"The River Wild" was one of my favorite movies of 1994. Gail (Meryl Streep), her husband, and her son decide to take a white-water rafting trip. They already have their problems because Gail's husband pays too much attention to his job and he doesn't pay enough attention to his f... read more
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March 1, 2008I couldn't imagine Kevin Bacon as a villain, but he played a GREAT villain in this one --
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April 23, 2007Only cause I grew up watching it, and kevin bacon is fun to watch sometimes. And John C. Reily kills people.
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April 14, 2007I started to like Meryl Streep in this adventure-thriler film because she's fantastic for the American deaf culture by using American sign language in her character. And she successfully invades Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone territory when her family is terrorized ... read more
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February 26, 2007Good thriller. The boat scenes are really good and the acting is great.
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June 3, 2006A nice tense thriller. Set's aside big explosions and hard boiled cops and gives us a family on a rafting holiday. Bacon excels at being the creepy and dangerous robber and Riley is great as his bitch. Hanson keeps the action focussed and also takes time to explore the motives an... read more
Critic Reviews
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
O'Neill proves to be a squeamish screenwriter. He doesn't allow his villain to do anything truly unnerving until the story's nearly done. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Constructed from so many ideas, characters and situations recycled from other movies that all the way down the river I kept thinking: Been there. Done that. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
If watched from a mildly amused, forgiving distance, the movie has its enjoyable moments -- good and campy. Full Review
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
The thriller framework is still familiar, but the results exhibit a welcome freshness. Full Review
February 29, 2012
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
Another 1990s domestic parable chastising workaholic dads, The River Wild also functions as a gorgeous travelogue and a Meryl Streep action film. Full Review
December 11, 2007
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
A buff Streep vs. bad guy Bacon on a wild river journey in which good acting overcomes several cliches.
September 19, 2004
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
corny but gripping
August 15, 2003
Fred Topel, About.com
Terrible "suspense" movie. Predictable and no action until the end.
March 25, 2003
Oz, Hollywood Bitchslap
It looks like an action movie, sounds like an action movie, but there's a lot more going on here.
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The River Wild
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