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River's Edge

  • 1986
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
19K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,025
424
Danyi Deats in River's Edge (1986)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
81 Photos
CrimeDrama

A high school slacker commits a shocking act and proceeds to let his friends in on the secret. However, the friends' reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself.A high school slacker commits a shocking act and proceeds to let his friends in on the secret. However, the friends' reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself.A high school slacker commits a shocking act and proceeds to let his friends in on the secret. However, the friends' reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself.

  • Director
    • Tim Hunter
  • Writer
    • Neal Jimenez
  • Stars
    • Crispin Glover
    • Keanu Reeves
    • Ione Skye
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,025
    424
    • Director
      • Tim Hunter
    • Writer
      • Neal Jimenez
    • Stars
      • Crispin Glover
      • Keanu Reeves
      • Ione Skye
    • 152User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:00
    Watch Trailer

    Photos81

    Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, Josh Richman, Daniel Roebuck, and Roxana Zal in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Joshua John Miller in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, and Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)
    Roxana Zal in River's Edge (1986)
    Ione Skye in River's Edge (1986)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Crispin Glover
    Crispin Glover
    • Layne
    Keanu Reeves
    Keanu Reeves
    • Matt
    Ione Skye
    Ione Skye
    • Clarissa
    • (as Ione Skye Leitch)
    Daniel Roebuck
    Daniel Roebuck
    • Samson
    Dennis Hopper
    Dennis Hopper
    • Feck
    Joshua John Miller
    Joshua John Miller
    • Tim
    • (as Joshua Miller)
    Roxana Zal
    Roxana Zal
    • Maggie
    Josh Richman
    • Tony
    Phillip Brock
    Phillip Brock
    • Mike
    Tom Bower
    Tom Bower
    • Bennett
    Constance Forslund
    Constance Forslund
    • Madeleine
    Leo Rossi
    Leo Rossi
    • Jim
    Jim Metzler
    Jim Metzler
    • Mr. Burkewaite
    Tammy Smith
    • Kim
    Danyi Deats
    Danyi Deats
    • Jamie
    Yuzo Nishihara
    • Moko
    Taylor Negron
    Taylor Negron
    • Checker
    Christopher Peters
    Christopher Peters
    • Tom
    • (as Chris Peters)
    • Director
      • Tim Hunter
    • Writer
      • Neal Jimenez
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although this film is a work of fiction, it was inspired by the murder of Marcy Conrad, who was killed by her friend Anthony Jacques Broussard in Milpitas, California, in 1981.
    • Goofs
      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

      Matt: The only reason you stay here is so you can fuck my mother and eat her food. MOTHERFUCKER. FOOD EATER.

    • Connections
      Featured in Fates Warning: Kyrie Eleison (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Kyrie Eleison
      Written byJim Matheos & John Arch

      Performed by Fates Warning

      Courtesy of Metal Blade Records

    User reviews152

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Wonderfully perplexing
    "River's Edge" is a very perplexing movie. The most striking feature of the movie seems to be the universally apathetic characters. In the opening sequence we learn that Samson, a very large, uncontrollable teenager has killed Jamie, a member of his group of stoner friends from school, and left her naked body by the river's edge.

    While there are many movies about heartless killers, Samson is fully realized, such as he is, and I was struck by the utter lack of any rime or reason to his actions, any "Hollywood" touches to humanize him or explain what he did. He killed a girl and really doesn't care. There was no planning, before or after, no moralizing, at most he is amused by it.

    Samson (also called John because of his last name) tells his friends, who display apathy that might be shocking. The only one who seems to care is Layne (Crispin Glover) who wants to cover it up so his friend doesn't get arrested and executed. But the rest don't really seem too shaken by it, they don't get mad at John, they even justify his actions, and they certainly don't go to the police right away.

    River's Edge works because there is no clear message. I'm sure many people can find one in it, but it's definitely not a movie that hits you over the head with some moral. It presents some very strangely behaving people, who are often over the top but depicted with just enough realism that you have to take what is going on seriously. The fun in this movie is that you get to float around in this shockingly apathetic teenage wasteland for an hour and a half, and see what you can make of it.

    The main problem I had with the movie was the direction and soundtrack, which coincide to create awkward transitions and moments where "River's Edge" feels like a crappy low-budget flick you'd find being mocked on MST3K. None of the dialogue or plot falls into that category, but it's the transitions between scenes, where they often just kind of end unimpressive and cut to the next one.

    The soundtrack also kept drawing me away from the movie. It includes some edgy metal for 1986, which is perfectly fine for the movie, but it doesn't do much with it, and instead most of the music is an orchestral soundtrack. Parts of it are very atmospheric and perfect for the movie's feel, but at other times it is hitting cliché film score notes during tense scenes and really seeming quite cheesy. I contrasted this movie with "Picnic at Hanging Rock", a spiritual cousin of "River's Edge" I would say, where the score was so utterly perfect at always building the mood, and really think River's Edge could have been an incredible movie with a score that consistent.

    River's Edge isn't perfect. I had honestly never even heard of it until I saw it mentioned as a superior film with the same basic themes as "Bully" by Larry Clark. I am very glad I rented it, and am a bit surprised I'd never heard of it. It deserves to be better known. It has some flaws and not everyone will like it, but there is a lot of depth here, and of course its cast includes several famous people in early or debut roles.
    helpful•20
    7
    • knucklebreather
    • Feb 22, 2011

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 8, 1987 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Das Messer am Ufer
    • Filming locations
      • Sacramento, California, USA(River scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Hemdale
      • Sanford/Pillsbury Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,900,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,600,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $67,794
      • May 10, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,600,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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