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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 18818
Released: January 23, 2001 |
| Our Price: $6.61 |
| Used Price: $4.47 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Based on the horrifying real-life murder of a young California girl, this "powerful portrait" (Newsweek) of deadly, disaffected teens stars Keanu Reeves (The Matrix), Crispin Glover (Charlie's Angels), Ione Skye Leitch (One Night Stand), Daniel Roebuck (Final Destination) and Dennis Hopper (Ed TV) in a tale that is "chilling to witness" (The New York Times). On the bank of a river lies the naked body of a brutally murdered young girl. Atthe nearby high school, Samson (Roebuck) brags to Matt (Reeves) and his friends about how he killedher. Drunk and stoned, the doubting teens trudge to the river and discover that he isn't lying. Andoddly, they decide to protect Samson behind a loyal wall of secrecy. Tormented with guilt, Matt questions their silence and suddenly finds himself in a troubling position: should he do what he thinksis right, or should he keep quiet and live with this demon for the rest of his life?
Description of River's Edge:
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
River's Edge Reviews:
Death and Apathetic Teens 
2009-11-04 - This movie really shows how dangerous apathy can be. It's both sad and scary to see that only one of the teens actually seems to care about what might happen to his murderous friend. Though the tale is a dark one, the acting of Crispin Glover really cracked me up. To be honest, I bought this movie just from seeing clips of his character, Layne, and I'm very glad that I did. Aside from Glover's hilarious lines, Keanu Reeves does a good job as a sort of "front man" for the story.
Don't buy this expecting a happy ending, because really, how happy can things be when a girl has been killed by a former friend? But it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you like Crispin Glover. (You can tell I'm a big fan from my review of "Willard" as well.) Keanu Reeves fans will probably enjoy it, too, because he perfectly emulates the laid-back 80s teen that drinks and smokes but doesn't go too overboard like he did in his Theodore "Ted" Logan role.
The anti-80s film 
2009-10-26 - The Bottom Line:
This unique teen film from the 80s focuses on a group of friends who find one of their number murdered...and then mill around without calling the police or showing any sign of remorse or disapproval; a distinctly interesting study of teen anomie, River's Edge is imperfectly put together but much more thought-provoking than the Pretty in Pinks and Breakfast Clubs of the world.
3/4
Still Gripping
2009-10-06 - Even though it has been nearly 20 years since I've seen this movie, it's still gripping. I realize all these years later that it is kind of a teen movie, but only because it involves high school students. Crazy man Dennis Hopper puts in another great performance. This movie asks the question, "What would you do?".
Awesome
2009-10-02 - classic Crispin Glover when it came out I watched it a thousand times on VHS now I'm excited to watch it on DVD
River's Edge
2009-02-22 - Part of my "Teens gone Bad" series. One of those sad but true stories.
Good Copy.
