Product Details

• Actors: Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Daniel Roebuck, Dennis Hopper
• Directors: Tim Hunter
• Writers: Neal Jimenez
• Producers: David Streit, Derek Gibson, Gabrielle Liuzzi, John Daly, Midge Sanford
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Polygram Video
• VHS Release Date: October 27, 1998
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305165882
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,532 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This disturbing little film is even more unsettling when you think about the fact that it's based on an actual case. Troubled teen Samson murders his girlfriend Jamie for no particular reason, leaves her nude body by the river's edge, then brings his friends to see the corpse to prove he did it. They look at her, prod her, and talk about her, but no one seems to manage to feel anything. River's Edge is ultimately a study of kids who are so numbed by drugs, casual parenting, and the ever present threat of nuclear war that not even death can get a rise out of them. A young Keanu Reeves is surprisingly poised as Matt, the one character with a few shreds of empathy left. His quiet performance is powerful enough to hold the audience's interest even with Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper both being as crazy as they can be. Glover steals much of the movie with his whacked-out performance as Layne, the group's leader. He undercuts his teen alpha-male power with a nervous giggle, and the spin he puts on much of his dialogue manages to be scary and funny at the same time--after hiding Jamie's body for Samson, he complains: "You'd think I'd at least rate a Michelob!" River's Edge is not necessarily a pleasant movie, but it is certainly a compelling one. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars forget Blue Velvet..., October 28, 2000

By 

Kelly EC (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: River's Edge [VHS] (VHS Tape)

River's Edge is a shocking, real life, under-rated and very unavailible 80's cult movie. It about how a gang of teenages cope when a friend murders a girl and leaves her body naked beside the river. The haunting atmosphere and horrific imagery are comendable, but its the characters that really bring this film alive. They also bring some wonderful moments of unexpected humour (yes! It is funny!).

Okay, first and formost there's Crispin Glovers enthralling Layne. He is basically the only kid who reacts to the killing, however his warped morality makes him side with the killer. Glovers performance really lights up the screen and his character has a same weasely appeal as Mr Pink had in Reservoir Dogs. This is a truely special role.

But it doesn't stop there. I was also seriously facinated by the boy who played Tim (Damien was it?). The kid is hard as nails and had a burning precense. Then there's John (the all important role of the killer). The guy playing the character really looks like the blank psycho's you see on the news. A really hate worthy villian.

Denis Hopper is as good as ever playing the demented Feck and (Shock! Horror!) Keanu Reeves is pretty damn good as Matt. I used to be one of the masses of people who would slate Keanu's acting- but since seeing "My own private Idaho" and this, I'm having to eat my words.

I hope this cracking and important film will be widely availible soon. Teen films these days tend to be utterly souless, brain dead crap.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction !!!, April 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: River's Edge [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you ever doubted that truth is stranger than fiction, check out this true story and masterful film that became an instant cult classic in 1987, and still survives today as a case study in adolescent psychology at many major universities. Director Tim Hunter (Saint of Fort Washington) brings to life this spine chilling yet somber contemporary drama that will have you not believing your eyes, or the fact that this story is a true one. This film exemplifies a raw, honest look at teenage alienation and ambivalence, where values have been twisted far beyond adult comprehension. It is an account of an actual event whereby a close knit group of teenagers discover that one of their own has killed his girlfriend. Emotionally ill prepared, they struggle to differentiate between friendship and responsibility. What ensues is a chain of events that is as mesmerizing as it is incredible, and as hypnotic as it is horrifying! Expertly cast and acted, this film is brought to life by very memorable character portrayals by Crispin Glover (Layne), Keanu Reeves (Matt), Ione Skye (Clarissa), Roxana Zal (Maggie), Daniel Roebuck (Samson), Joshua Miller (Tim ), and Dennis Hopper (Feck) as a half crazed psychopathic murderer himself. The close associations drawn by this film with such things as sex and death will linger in your consciousness for days on end, and compel you to see this movie again and again. Truly a work of cinematic art and great film making. Excellent !!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars EDGE OF OUR SOCIETY, October 15, 2005

By 

Anton Ilinski (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: River's Edge (DVD)

I think "River's Edge" was the precursor of Larry Clark's movies which I adore. It's a terrifying story about troubled teenagers, how they discover their classmate killed his girlfriend and how they act in this situation. Their indifference and unconcern shocks and intimidate as we see another latest X-generation waste their lives. "Rivers's Edge" is disturbing in the last degree and at times very hard to watch but it's the kind of a movie that really touches your heart. The director Tim Hunter showed remarkable talent in this work and it's a pity he didn't make something noticeable since then. I'd like to mention the cast which is also great - Keanu Reeves (who's interesting to watch at that young age), Dennis Hopper (who's good as always) and Crispin Glover with Daniel Roebuck who both played just awesome, maybe it was their best part ever.
"River's Edge" make you ponder about todays youth but you know - the film (which by the way was based on a true story) was made about twenty years ago, so now those kids must be in their late 30-s. And they must have grown up into decent clerks, fathers etc. They hardly all became criminals. So I guess every time has its "lost" generation. But then they somehow find themselves. And that's a gratifying thought.