Product Details

• Actors: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello, John C. Reilly
• Directors: Curtis Hanson
• Writers: Denis O'Neill
• Producers: David Foster, Denis O'Neill, Ilona Herzberg, Lawrence Turman, Raymond Hartwick
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: September 26, 1995
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303367518
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,331 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Meryl Streep tried her hand at action films with this Curtis Hanson film and proved herself quite credible, bringing emotion as well as the willingness to kick butt. She plays a suburban mom and former white-water rafting guide who is taking her family on a raft trip for summer vacation. But overworked Dad (David Strathairn) can't make the trip, so she and her son leave without him--and walk right into trouble. Killers on the run (Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly) abduct them and force Streep to take them down the most dangerous stretch of river to elude the cops. Hanson understands how to pace and construct this kind of action fodder, but it's strictly formula stuff, enlivened only by the depth of Streep's portrayal and the viciousness of Bacon's character. --Marshall Fine

From The New Yorker

A family led by plucky supermom Meryl Streep goes on a white-water-rafting vacation out West and gets a hairier trip than it bargained for; the raft is hijacked by a pair of desperate crooks. The audience, however, gets precisely what it bargained for: safe, predictable thrills, with a light spray of dysfunctional-family drama. Curtis Hanson's direction is expert, but the screenplay, by Denis O'Neill, is so formulaic that the picture is never more than moderately exciting; you can see around every bend in this river. Imagine Virginia Madsen in Streep's role and you'll understand what this picture really is-a made-for-cable movie in wide-screen disguise. Also with Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello, and John C. Reilly. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh boy, December 17, 2003

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The River Wild - DTS (DVD)

Kevin Bacon can so beautifully play a sadist, a charming and vicious creep, a bad guy that it's almost like he's not acting. And Meryle Streep, trying her hand here in an action film, NEVER seems to be acting - she's always stellar, completely immersed in her character. In The River Wild, Streep plays a suburban mom and former white-water rafting guide who is taking her family on a raft trip for summer vacation. She's a bit on the outs with her husband, who is, at the last minute, too busy to go along - so she and her son go it alone - and quickly run afoul of some killers on the lam. Bacon and a buddy, of course. They coerce Streep to take them down a terrifyingly dangerous stretch of river rapids to escape from the pursuing cops.
Marvelous. And Streep did all the river scenes without the use of a stunt double - which, if you've ever been white-water rafting on a Class 4 or 5 river, is utterly amazing.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Ride, October 9, 2003

By 

Darren (Jersey Shore, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The River Wild - DTS (DVD)

An entertaining journey down a beautiful whitewater river with an age old theme of good vs evil. This is a good movie to just sit back and enjoy the ride even though as the plot develops you may feel bit uncomfortable.

Meryl Streep is outstanding as usual, however I feel Kevin Bacon is even better as the deceptive, yet charming 'bad guy'. There is also some excellent acting by David Straithairn (who portrays Meryl Streep's husband) even though his character is annoyingly pathetic.

The nature cinematography is spectacular and the high intensity musical score only adds excitement to the journey.

I highly recommend watching this one on a home theater system with wide screen and DTS sound decoding.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest., December 8, 1999

By 

Theodore J Roth (Hudson,Fl) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The River Wild - DTS (DVD)

Here is an action flix that belongs is everyone's DTD DVD collection. Loaded with action, great acting on all parts, the DTS sound was awe inspiring to say the least. GET IT, YOU"LL LOVE IT!