River's Edge (1986)

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:

3 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
Phillip Brock	...	Mike
Tom Bower	...	Bennett
Constance Forslund	...	Madeleine
Leo Rossi	...	Jim
Jim Metzler	...	Mr. Burkewaite
Tammy Smith	...	Kim
Danyi Deats	...	Jamie
Yuzo Nishihara	...	Moko
Taylor Negron	...	Checker
Christopher Peters	...	Tom (as Chris Peters)
Richard Richcreek	...	Kevin
Maeve Odum	...	Student
Francis De L'Etanche du Bois	...	Aunto
Michael Hungerford	...	Tony's Father (as Mike Hungerford)
James Terry	...	Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maryedith Burrell	...	(uncredited)
Helen Kelly	...	Girl at School (uncredited)

Directed by
Tim Hunter

Writing credits
Neal Jimenez		(written by)

Produced by
John Daly	....	executive producer
Derek Gibson	....	executive producer
Gabrielle Liuzzi	....	assistant producer
Sarah Pillsbury	....	producer
Midge Sanford	....	producer
David Streit	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Jürgen Knieper

Cinematography by
Frederick Elmes

Film Editing by
Howard E. Smith		(as Howard Smith)
Sonya Sones

Casting by
Carrie Frazier		(as Carrie Frazier-Reinhold)

Production Design by
John Muto

Set Decoration by
Anne H. Ahrens		(as Anne Huntley)

Costume Design by
Claudia Brown

Makeup Department
Bonita DeHaven	....	assistant makeup artist (as Bonita De Haven)
Gábor Kernyaiszky	....	makeup artist (as Gabor Kernyaiszky)
Kenny Myers	....	special makeup effects artist (as Ken Myers)

Production Management
Graham Henderson	....	executive in charge of production
David Streit	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Hawley	....	first assistant director
Nancy King	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Kirk Corwin	....	property master
Lisa Dean	....	set dresser
Jonathan R. Hodges	....	lead man (as Jonathan Hodges)
Lisa Monti	....	art department production assistant
Michael Muhlfriedel	....	art department coordinator (as Mick Muhlfriedel)
Anne Tamrazi	....	prop assistant

Sound Department
David Franklin Bergad	....	apprentice sound editor (as David Bergad)
Mark Berger	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Jay Boekelheide	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jay Boekelheide	....	supervising sound editor
Todd Boekelheide	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Brownlow	....	production sound
Kevin Collins	....	cable person
Laurel Ladevich	....	dialogue editor
Michael Magill	....	assistant sound editor
Barbara McBane	....	dialogue editor
Douglas Murray	....	sound effects editor
Jack M. Nietzsche Jr.	....	boom operator
Diana Pellegrini	....	foley editor
Michael Silvers	....	dialogue editor
Lynn Stevenson	....	apprentice sound editor
Dennie Thorpe	....	foley artist
Jeff Watts	....	assistant sound editor
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Colleen Berg	....	video effects

Camera and Electrical Department
R.D. Carpenter	....	camera car operator
Donne Daniels	....	key grip
Mark Shane Davis	....	dolly grip (as Mark Davis)
Lex DuPont	....	first assistant camera
Michael Evans	....	grip
Mark Gambino	....	grip
Rick Hall	....	camera car operator
James Kincaid Johnson	....	electrician (as James Johnson)
Michael Katz	....	gaffer
Jane O'Neal	....	still photographer
Gregory Peters	....	electrician (as Greg Peters)
David Rudd	....	second assistant camera (as Dave Rudd)
David Salamone	....	electrician (as Dave Salamone)
Dennis E. Shelton	....	best boy (as Dennis Shelton)
Steve Smith	....	grip
Joseph F. Warren	....	electrician (as Joe Warren)
Tom West	....	grip

Casting Department
Janet Cunningham	....	extras casting
Shani Ginsberg	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Leslie Wilshire	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Charlotte Brandstrom	....	assistant editor
Ron Gerber	....	apprentice editor
Tatiana S. Riegel	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Mark Adler	....	music editor
Budd Carr	....	music supervisor
William Hein	....	music consultant
Brian Slagel	....	assistant music consultant
Joanne Weiss	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
William R. Bates	....	transportation co-coordinator
Al Eisenmann	....	driver
Jeff Hubacek	....	driver
Glen McRaven	....	driver: honeywagon
Lawrence J. Romanoff	....	transportation co-coordinator
Randy Wimberg	....	driver

Other crew
Jo Barnett	....	post-production accountant
Kathy Budas	....	production associate
Tom Corboy	....	production assistant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer
Elizabeth Galloway	....	production coordinator (as Liz Galloway)
Frank Kanig	....	craft service
Ray Kybartas	....	trainer: Mr. Glover
Peter Mabie	....	studio teacher
Brian McMillan	....	animal handler
Jim Moores	....	production assistant
Craig Pointes	....	location manager
Vivienne Radkoff	....	production assistant
Patricia Sansone	....	production accountant
Rena Sternfeld-Allon	....	script supervisor (as Rina Sternfeld)
Lew Welles	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Hemdale Film
• Island

Distributors

• 4 Front Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Ascot Video
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1989) (New Zealand) (VHS) (original video release)
• Castle Video (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Hemdale Film
• Island (USA)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinema Research  title opticals
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Saul Zaentz Film Center  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

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:

In the '90s, the New York Times television page printed this super-concise and compressed, five-word synopsis of this movie: "Teens close ranks over murder."

Goofs:

Continuity: Layne drives two different VW Beetles in the movie. One car seen later in film has the stock front hood and fenders, while another seen early on has a modified "dune buggy" front end, with the headlights moved to the center. The rear rims on Layne's VW changes style from scene to scene. In some scenes, they are of a five-spoke style (which match the front rims) while in others the rims change to another style.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Checker:[points at legal age sign]
Samson:That's a real nice sign, how much.
Checker:I have to see ID.
Samson:I left it at home. How much?
Checker:I'm not going to sell you this unless you show me ID.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Filmography: Keanu Reeves" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Lethal Tendencies

Chilling and effective examination of alienation and ambivalence

Tim Hunter made a masterful film in River's Edge, one of the most serious and thoughtful dramatic studies of teenage life I have ever seen. So many elements of the film have a cult following (chief among them the performances of Crispin Glover as Layne and Dennis Hopper as Feck) that I will comment on my own personal favorite moment: the harrowing sex scene between Matt (Keanu Reeves) and Clarissa (Ione Skye). Entwined in sleeping bags with a six pack while police search for their good friend, the two try to find respite while the overwhelming events of the day coil into a vacuum of solitude and silence experienced by children who have sex without knowing each other or themselves. Some will argue that Hunter is heavy-handed with the close association of sex and death, but to see Matt writhe helplessly under Clarissa while elsewhere John (Daniel Roebuck) describes to Feck what it was like to strangle his girlfriend always sends chills up and down my spine.