63
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAs thrillers go, The River Wild is a cut below a "white-knuckler," but it still has its share of spills and chills.
- 75Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumCurtis Hanson (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) directed this 1994 thriller effectively from a fairly routine script by Denis O'Neill; what really makes this movie worth seeing are the stunning Oregon and Montana locations (filmed in 'Scope), as well as Streep's sexy pluck in playing the most capable and resourceful character around.
- While The River Wild pays lip service to equally weighty ideas, in the end it’s merely an agitated but tidy ride.
- 75LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenAnother 1990s domestic parable chastising workaholic dads, The River Wild also functions as a gorgeous travelogue and a Meryl Streep action film. Director Curtis Hanson sure packs a lot into one river trip.
- 60Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonIf watched from a mildly amused, forgiving distance, the movie has its enjoyable moments—good and campy.
- 60EmpireAngie ErrigoEmpireAngie ErrigoExciting in parts, Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon doing their best, but arc of suspense doesn't quite bring you to the edge of your seats.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMost of The River Wild moves at an annoyingly maladroit, stop-and-go tempo — it feels too much like a camping trip — and almost nothing that happens is very believable.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe River Wild is one of the movies you want to play along with, you really do, but it gets so many details subtly wrong that finally you lose patience and turn on it.
- 50Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyThe film would be utterly banal without the novelty of the high-toned Streep in an action role.
- 30Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleThe trailer for the film is more gripping than the feature itself.