River's Edge (1986)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tim Hunter

Writer:

Neal Jimenez (written by)

Release Date:

8 May 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The most controversial film you will see this year.

Plot:

A high school slacker kills his girlfriend and shows off her dead body to their friends. However, the friends' reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Police | High School | Murder | Sex

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Crispin Glover	...	Layne
Keanu Reeves	...	Matt
Ione Skye	...	Clarissa (as Ione Skye Leitch)
Daniel Roebuck	...	Samson 'John' Tollet
Dennis Hopper	...	Feck
Joshua John Miller	...	Tim (as Joshua Miller)
Roxana Zal	...	Maggie
Josh Richman	...	Tony
Phil Brock	...	Mike
Tom Bower	...	Bennett
Constance Forslund	...	Madeleine
Leo Rossi	...	Jim
Jim Metzler	...	Mr. Burkewaite
Tammy Smith	...	Kim
Danyi Deats	...	Jamie

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1988) | Australia:R | Canada:R (video rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Arcade Enterprise, La Crescenta, California, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

Although it is a work of fiction, the movie was inspired by the actual murder of Marcy Conrad, who was killed by her boyfriend Anthony Jacques Broussard in Milpitas, California in 1981.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening of the movie, the younger brother throws his sister's doll off a bridge. We see a completely different doll hit the water below.

Quotes:

[holding a cat]
Samson: Look what I found. We can get it stoned!

Movie Connections:

Features Commando (1986) (VG)

Soundtrack:

I'm Gonna Miss You

Disturbing Creepy 80's apathy!

This film is one of the best of 1986 with creepy, yet intriguing performances from Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper! The Reagan years were pretty bleak for a lot of people, not just teenagers, but this flick really captured the desperation and despair. Well-directed with great script (apparently based on a true story), I don't really see any weaknesses in this. The opening shot was brilliant.

Keanu Reeves was decent for a change and Miss Skye was right on the money. Hopper had three other great performances that same year (Blue Velvet, Texas Chainsaw II, and Hoosiers). I imagine this has a cult following and I wonder how this picture would fare if it was re-released. Super stuff!