Customer Reviews

Whitewater Sam [VHS]

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Keith Larsen writes, directs, and stars in a work that tells of a season in the life of a legendary mountain man, a trapper and hunter who survives a hard winter in the Pacific Northwest c. 1820, when the action is set, and who, in order to do so, must prevail over hostile Indians, a rapacious pack of wolves, aggressive mountain lions, and other dangers. Oriented towards a family audience, this film offers some genuine enjoyment, particularly when opportunities are taken to exhibit beautiful scenery ( the largest amount of footage is actually filmed in Wyoming and Colorado), or when we see a warm relationship between the trapper and his Siberian husky, Sybar, and there are many scenes including wildlife such as bears, deer, cougars, a badger, a fox, and so forth. Larsen's dialogue is spoken as a voiceover representing the trapper's thoughts, or to his dog, or to nothing in particular, and at times includes a jarring note when syntax or vocabulary ( "so you wanna play rough?") are not synchronous with the time and place, but there are moments of authentic suspense, specially when Sam is captured and then tries to escape from an Indian hunting party. Unfortunately, the production's lack of continuity due to unsatisfactory editing causes many scenes to be ostensibly incomplete, notably those with animals, of which most are trained, for when they are scripted to be contentious, they most often exhibit only a sense of indifference to each other, eventually shared by the audience after moments of travail or conflict suddenly end with merely a presentation of fresh vistas, picturesque though they may be.

What are you looking for in a movie? Is it action, fine-tunedacting, killer dialogue, great characters or even a plot? Or are youmerely looking for a beautifully serene movie about a mountain man and his dog peacefully paddling through the wilderness? If the latter is your case, rent or buy this movie- it's perfect for relaxing, or fighting insomnia. Despite the film's meditationesque qualities, it's utter lack of direction or point can fuel frustration if you're looking for substance. If that's not in your appetite, however, join Sybar and Whitewater Sam as they paddle their way through a coma-like bliss. END