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Visitors Review

monkey-man 2013-05-18 02:42:04

one of the best movies i have ever seen

This movie is really good in the movie a guy kills his girlfriend andshows it off to all of his friends and they do not care thatmuch.Crispin Glover does a great role in this film i think its one ofhis best films and the film also stares Keanu Reeves.The film isdisturbing but at the same time u are wondering what is going to happennext.I recommend this film to buy if under 20 dollars and to rent andits one of the best films in the 80s.The film also stars DennisHopper,Joshua Jhon Miller just to name a few of the good actors in thefilm.overall i gave this film 7 of of ten if u are a fan of Crispinglover or Keanu reeves this is a must see film.

2013-05-17 07:13:19

"He had his reasons!"

"River's Edge" is probably the most important film Tim Hunter ever made. It will probably leave an extremely bad taste the mouth of the casual viewer, which is in all likelihood the point.While this film is based on a real incident that occured in the mid-80's, since then there have been dozens of similar cases. What makes this film special is that rather than taking a coldly objective or "documentary" style approach to the event, it makes an attempt to involve the viewer in the daily lives of apathetic youth, and to point a big index finger at the failure of family, society, and the kids themselves to generate some real concern or emotion over the death of another human being.Pretty much everyone knows the story: a high school student murdered his girlfriend after her having refused to have sex with him, and then babbles to his friends about it, none of whom told police. The performances in this film range from mediocre to spectacular:Crispin Glover steals the show as young psychopath Layne, an iconoclastic figure in this twisted circle of "friends" who attempts to rally the youths into hiding Samson (Daniel Roebuck) and evoke some feelings of loyalty toward him. Since none of the figures involved ( with the exception of Keanu Reeves, who once again proves that he can play a less than intelligent burn out very, very well, it's almost like he's not acting) are capable of emotion over their friends' death, Layne's frenzied mission is doomed to failure from the start.Dennis Hopper is one of his less impressive roles here as Feck, a reclusive biker/murderer who gives loopy lectures to the kids and sells weed to Layne. The striking thing about the situation is the apathy that practically flies off every scene: Samson, the young killer, seems less affected than any of his peers by what he has done. After leaving Jamie (his dead girlfriend) he goes to the local convenient store in search of a six pack of beer. We gradually come to see that he is perhaps more insane than anyone else, even Hopper, who also murdered a woman decades ago and has a blow up sex doll as a substitute--and he's the good guy.I'd watch this film simply for Glover's performance, which oscillates between being manically charged to mired in total defeat. It isn't so much about protecting his "friend" as it is about trying to get some sense of connection with his peers. But everyone seems lost in their own orbits, and in the last scene, when the police are arriving, we see the young Layne lying on the grass, defeated. This is a film which deserves more attention, as I'm sure it will take on a more prophetic quality as time goes by and more and more things like this occur.

2013-05-15 13:33:08

Great Then....Great Now.

I remember when this movie first came out. I watched it again tonight and have to say I believe I was more disturbed this time around then my first viewing. As a teenager the most significant thing that stuck with me about this movie was the body and how she was left by the river. This time around it was the apathy of the whole group of friends and the push/pull between brothers Matt & Tim. I'm not sure what my group of friends would have done if put in a similar situation.Since the 60's our society has been on a rapid decline. Each generation has had some form of social inadequacy. In the 80's we were all slackers, even the so called jock/pinheads of our generation. Drugs, alcohol, and sex were the norm. Kids across all economic backgrounds were part of the latch-key generation, unsupervised, under stimulated. Our role models were the musicians we listened to and the music videos we watched. True, movies today seem to grip harder. Show more blood and guts. Are far more graphic. This movie though cuts to the solid core of my generation. We were a bunch a slackers, drifters without a moral compass by which to guide us. Only a nagging feeling or voice if you will, in the back of our heads as to what was right and what was wrong.I'm glad I took the time to watch this movie again. It was well worth the time. Dennis, Crispin, wonderful to say the least. Keanu pulled off an extremely good performance and considering I have really considered him eye candy until now is saying a lot. Joshua Miller really and truly disturbed me the most. Bravo. I wish I knew who played their little sister because she did the job so sweetly. She was the only character in the movie that showed true emotion and quite frankly reminded me of my own daughter in her caring for others.Even though this movie is a bit dated I strongly recommend it.

2013-05-15 02:24:12

Crispin Glover fans MUST SEE!!

This review is from: River's Edge (DVD) So many actors in this picture went on to become MEGA stars. Crispin Glover's character is quirky and wonderful! Considering the events in the film, it was pretty "cutting edge" back then.

bonniek1213 2013-05-09 03:33:43

Excellent, thought provoking movie based on a true story

I really liked this movie and thought the characters were all well-actedandportrayed.This movie IS based on the murder of Marcy Conrad by Anthony Broussard.It is very sad that this did happen, but the movie did provide some foodforthought, no matter your age. Even though it portrays teens, it couldhappento anyone. What would you do?

2013-05-08 14:47:09

doesn't quite add-up, but still unforgettable

This was a great movie, but it's not quite the social indictment that it purports to be. Mostly it works on the power of its stars and some godawfully chilling mood music.Samson (AKA "John") is a not-so-gentle giant of a teen who impulsively strangles his girlfriend. Though the murder and murderer are quickly common knowledge to local high-school denizens, nobody immediately runs to the police. This doesn't keep just about everybody her age from gawking at her now stripped corpse when it's found along the river's edge. Various reasons keep Samson's peers from even alerting the police to the body - mostly they have to do with loyalty. In a bizarre twist, their loyalty stems not from Samson, but from his friend Layne, a local Death-Metal kid who is determined not to "narc" out one of his own. While the rest remain silent, Layne makes Samson's safety and escape his personal crusade. Matt (Keanu Reeves) stirs from the pack, and calls the police. At first a suspect (he can't explain to the police the delay) Matt's released, whereupon he pretends to help Layne keep Samson safe. Most of the film is confined to the late hours of a single night, when our characters split up and tragically collide. When police flood the streets looking for Samson, it's clear that somebody "Narced". Though Layne never suspects Matt, Matt's younger brother immediately fixates on his elder sibling's betrayal, and plots revenge. At first, Layne stashes Samson with Feck (Dennis Hopper), an elder pot-head who's on the run for murder, but Samson is too impulsive to stay in one place for very long. When Feck runs out of beer, the pair leave the safety of Feck's house for beer, bullets and a trip back to the river's edge."River's Edge" is a stirring flick, but it's not quite the statement of society's collapse that it purports to be. (A nebbish, conservative student is put-down for just that sort of self-righteousness late in the story.) Just too much of the story doesn't add up. Matt's mom is simply weak - she's got a bossy live-in boyfriend, and looks to be have barely recovered from the sort of teenage existence now suffered by her kids. (instead of being emboldened, she's actually the weakest character in the flick - "I'm not your mother", she rants near the end "You're all mistakes!") Matt's brother plots revenge for Matt's treason - but he never connects with other characters in a way that suggests his loyalty. The other's are supposedly in sway to Layne, but Crispin Glover's mannerisms are less death-metal than post-modern mime (he simulcasts most of his lines with his hands) and he can barely hold himself together, let alone his peers. While separated from Layne, Matt uses his new-found inner strength to get closer to Clarissa (Ione Skye), but the story isn't sure which is really causing the other (maybe Clarissa is actually inspiring him to think past Layne). Especially weird is the way that while Layne searches for Samson, Matt runs into him at a liquor store after hours. There, using Feck's gun, and in front of Matt, Samson forces the storeowner to sell Matt beer. Matt never tells Layne of the meeting. The biggest hole is Feck. The flick tosses him and Samson together in a night that climaxes with something out of "Of Mice and Men" - but the script only partly succeeds in creating that intimacy between Feck and Samson. When Feck later says of Samson "he didn't love her", it's unclear whether he's referring to Samson's murdered girlfriend or to Elly, Feck's blow-up doll and captive passenger on that last night.That said, this is still an incredible flick. Crispin Glover is still unforgettable as Layne (after watching enough of "Edge" you may find it hard not to talk like him). The plot, for its holes, stays focused on that one last night. If the ending is way-too-pat, it's probably because the flick's ambition is more than it can achieve. In any case, I sat down for this click and couldn't pull myself away. Supposedly based on a true story, "River's Edge" should be appreciated on its own, without us having to wonder where the true story became a way-out cautionary tale of impulsive murder and misplaced loyalty.

2013-05-01 13:33:27

too bizarre

i was flipping through the channels and had to stop and laugh when icame across this movie. It was so clearly about teens in the early 80s,and i called my mom "hahaha, turn to channel such and such, the kidtotally looks like if dad were a kid".Um. Yeah. Turns out this movie is about my dad & his friends.Even without it being about loosely based on my dad's childhood, i'dsay watch this movie! It is just.....bizarre to say the least, the apathy instilled in teenseven back then. This is a good "human interest" and showcases somestrange sides of the psyche.

anitatanky 2013-04-30 22:04:11

Disturbingly Realistic

This film did a wonderful job at presenting teenagers and how it is not thatfar fetched for people to get sucked into "going along with the crowd". After a group of teenagers find out that their friend killed his girlfriend,who was also their friend, they all keep it only among themselves and no oneimmediately goes to the authorities. Lane, played by Crispin Glover, sortof leads the group into sticking together to "protect their friend who isstill alive". Kenu Reeves is more or less the main character, who does awonderful job playing a kid who seems to only want to get stoned and cutclass. And Ione Skye plays Clarissa,the stoner type girl that dresses inthe "I don't give a damn about my appearance" way, yet manages to make sureshe has on an abundance of makeup, especially around the eyes. All of thekids came from dysfunctional families, one with a Mom who kept joints layingaround for her kids to find, as if the live in boyfriend, who hit her kids,was not bad enough. What was especially spooky about the film is that I wasabout the same age as the characters when I first saw it. I found everysingle one of the characters realistic and could parallel them to someone Iknew, maybe except for the crazy dude played by Dennis Hopper. But thenagain, his character had some general similarities to someone Iencountered-some older guy in the area who hangs out with high school kidsand buys them beer and stuff. The acting was very good especially sincemost of the cast were virtually unknowns during the time when the moviefirst debuted on cable. If you have never seen this film, try renting it or catching it on the IFCsometime. It is wonderfully written. And if you were in your teens duringthe mid to late 80's, you may relate to some of the less morbid aspects ofthe film, like the "pre-grundge" flannel look complete with danglingbandanna from the back pocket of a pair of blue jeans or black "hey look atme, I'm a rocker wanna be" pants. We used to call that the "head" or "grit"look in this part of the country back in the day. LOL

Tiger_Mark 2013-04-27 07:30:34

Great Movie!

This film is so 1980's and that is what I like so much about it. It does anexcellent job of conveying the feel of that odd decade. The reality thatRussian nukes could wipe you out at any time. Reagan in the White Housetelling everybody that things were great, while more and more socialprograms were slashed. Young people dropped out, but not as far as theirparents of the 1960's did. Young people still went to school, they justsmoked so much dope that their sensetivities were all but dead. Nothingeffected them, not even the death of one of their classmates at the hands ofone of their friends. How weird is it to realize that the murder was wrong,but you are not sure why. Watching the characters deal with the crime isfascinating and telling of a very sick society. Glover is great, Keanu isgreat, Hopper is incredible. One of the most memorable movies I have everseen.

halyndorit 2013-04-26 20:00:18

one last use for a dead friend

i just glanced over another comment posted here in which the writerdiscusses the disturbing ways the teenagers in this film use the bodyof their dead friend. one overlooked in this statement is perhaps themost unsettling of them all, no surprise it's what crispin glover'scharacter (layne) does. he is thrilled over one of his friendsmurdering another friend of his, the killer's girlfriend. not becauselayne did not like this individual, rather he is excited about herdeath because it gives him something to do. this poor boy is bored inlife, and dead inside, that a murdered friend is something to getexcited about because it provides him with something to focus on.

2013-04-25 11:46:56

THE THINGS I DO FOR MY FRIEKIN' FRIENDS!

River's Edge has an authentic feel to it that is unshakably disturbing probably because it is based on a true life incident. A guy strangles his girlfriend and leaves her naked body by th edge of a river and then proceeds to brag to all his teen-age buddies about what he's done.What is so horrible,even more so than the actual crime, is that none of the kids even think to call the cops or are even particularly shocked or pained, despite the fact that the girl was one of their acquaintinces.This is where the power in this film lies.One of the younger brothers of the killer's buddies even idolizes the nutcase and will do anything to protect him,even calling to aid a local whacko,pot dealer played well by a creepy, ultra-weird Dennis Hopper as Feck. Chrispin Glover is very effecrive as the sort of leader of the clique who feels this strange sense of loyalty to his murderer friend and is willing to go to any length to help him not get caught even if that means getting rid of the body.Hell, he cares more about his friend's fate than his friend does.This guy is an unemotional killer who just doesn't care about himself,life, or anybody else.This appalls Hopper,who takes the kid in with him into hiding but grows to dislike him and eventually kills him.This is a very intriguing story witha memorable premise and some good peformances,even by Keanu Reeves in Bill and Ted mode and Ione Skye as his beautiful girlfriend. Hopper and Glover steal the show though and this is their movie. It is very effective and thought provoking with a lot of senseless brutality and unanswered questions. Similar in some ways to Larry Clark's Bully though this much earlier film is better made and more meaningful as well as ten times more potent. A top notch drama that I certainly recommend viewing.

2013-04-25 01:01:41

Chilling tale of kids on the edge

Samson "John" (Daniel Roebuck) strangles his girlfriend Jamie because she was "talkin' ####." Then, he shows all his friends the nude body."A bunch of us are going to check it out," one girl tells another. "It's probably some joke." But, the kids are going to visit the body by truck loads. They literally convince one of them to cut work to ferry a bunch of kids out to the riverside so everyone can see."Nobody has to find out." Layne (Glover) the self appointed ringleader of the young people, tells the group. "There are a lot of people here, we bury her so she doesn't have to be found." Their ersatz leader is doing his best to keep the gang together, to get John out of town when the police start searching for him because Jamie's dead and they can only help John.One of the boys' big adult role models is Feck (Dennis Hopper) an ex-biker who admits to having killed a girl he loved with his gun. Feck provides the kids drugs and plays a key role in John's escape attempt.It seems, the only kid concerned is one girl, Clarissa (Ione Skye) who is too afraid to call the police because John might hurt her next. And still her reaction is muted. "I couldn't cry for her," she confesses. "I could cry for that guy in "Brian's Song", but I couldn't cry for her..."All this is juxtaposed with a little girl's grief over her lost toy. The toy gets a burial and a grave marker. The girl's death is hidden."I don't know how I felt," Matt (Keanu Reeves) the kid who eventually told the cops, said when asked about seeing the body of the girl. This is pretty much a reflection of the reactions of most of the kids who've witnessed the girl's body. Finally, near the end when John's situation gets desperate, he tells precisely why he killed Jamie. The situation goes from bad to worse as the kids are frenzied by John's act run rampant around the town, committing robbery, assault, etc. "The River's Edge" literally had me on the edge of my seat. There are enough holes and inconsistencies in the plot and bad acting by some of the cast to have me shaking my head, I doubt I will forget the film any time soon. While this film is a work of fiction, it is based on the true story of the killing of Marcy Conrad by her boyfriend in 1981. Rebecca Kyle, December 2008

2013-04-19 08:44:33

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction !!!

If you ever doubted that truth is stranger than fiction, check out this true story and masterful film that became an instant cult classic in 1987, and still survives today as a case study in adolescent psychology at many major universities. Director Tim Hunter (Saint of Fort Washington) brings to life this spine chilling yet somber contemporary drama that will have you not believing your eyes, or the fact that this story is a true one. This film exemplifies a raw, honest look at teenage alienation and ambivalence, where values have been twisted far beyond adult comprehension. It is an account of an actual event whereby a close knit group of teenagers discover that one of their own has killed his girlfriend. Emotionally ill prepared, they struggle to differentiate between friendship and responsibility. What ensues is a chain of events that is as mesmerizing as it is incredible, and as hypnotic as it is horrifying! Expertly cast and acted, this film is brought to life by very memorable character portrayals by Crispin Glover (Layne), Keanu Reeves (Matt), Ione Skye (Clarissa), Roxana Zal (Maggie), Daniel Roebuck (Samson), Joshua Miller (Tim ), and Dennis Hopper (Feck) as a half crazed psychopathic murderer himself. The close associations drawn by this film with such things as sex and death will linger in your consciousness for days on end, and compel you to see this movie again and again. Truly a work of cinematic art and great film making. Excellent !!!

jonsmall 2013-04-18 16:43:23

John Tollet

This is the best movie ever; after Love Liza. Keanu, McFly, Fec: whatelse do you want? Gas huffing? Motherf*#@er. Foodeater. Look. I don'thave more to say about it. Rivers Edge is that good. For me, this moviehit home. That's what I like about it. If I need to keep writing linesabout it to get my post posted; fair enough. This is Keanu Reeves'Romper Stomper. What constitutes a line anyway. How the blank can Igive a serious, honest, objective review about a movie that doesn'tneed to be approved or explained. Why do I need to keep adding lines.If you grew up in the '80s, early '90s, see Rivers Edge. Forget aboutLess Than Zero; this is all there ever was!

4-Kane 2013-03-28 00:31:22

An important film about apathy

I once read Roger Ebert's review of River's Edge. Then years later, I readit again, and again...and again. I became increasingly curious about thismovie since it was inspired by an actual murder case. However, it wasn'tuntil early 2004 when I finally rented the movie, and watched it for thevery first time. I watched it again a few weeks later, after buying a copyof it on DVD. The movie is not a docudrama. It is just a fictional story whose plot wasinspired by a real-life murder. It was the 1981 murder of Marcy Conrad, whowas killed by Anthony Jacques Broussard. Broussard bragged about the crimeto his high school friends, and brought them over to the ravine to view thecorpse. The disturbing thing about the case was that the none of the kids,who learned about Broussard's crime, went to the police. That's what River'sEdge is all about: teenagers deciding to protect their friend, in lieu ofreporting his misdeed.I recommend River's Edge. It is a young adult drama that stands out in mymind, and whenever I feel compelled to talk about it, I do so. River's Edgeis a story that shows just how apathetic some people canbe.

wdchelonis 2013-03-27 17:01:41

excellent movie

Spoiler: My ex-girlfriend of ages ago said this had happened at herhigh school, Pioneer High, in San Jose, CA. Though she didn't get oneof the tours of the corpse, she heard about it at the time and when itwas made into a movie, of course, she made me watch the movie. I'd haveto say, it's a creepy film - actually not the film's fault - the ideaof giving tours of a crime scene is creepy and that's ironically whatreally happened. Still, there's something about that era that I findcaptivating and that all these kids who saw the corpse pretty much keptit to themselves, maybe saying "that's cool" and moving on. So odd thatso many should have seen it and said nothing about it to theauthorities. Like some kind of freak show attraction that nobodyquestions or feels guilty about viewing, like there's nothing morallywrong about it at all. I find it fascinating and yet sad that societyat some point can break like this. Like as if you were in the midst ofa drunken riot stampede and came upon a corpse or two that had beentrampled upon but ran right over it anyway without a second thoughtbecause so many others before you already had. As if to say, all thosepeople can't be wrong... and yet they are/were. Really great movie. Sadthat it actually happened but maybe we can learn by the mistakes ofothers and not let morals slide aside just because a certain numberbefore us already did.

carny92 2013-03-24 01:53:26

The soundtrack makes it a 10

I was really big into the heavy metal seen back in the day. I think thesoundtrack makes a lot a a movie. Just kidding. But the soundtrack waspretty cool. Kean Reeves was awesome in this movie. I wish it gotbetter ratings...than I cold find it on DVD. The plot was right in withwhat the 80's were all about. I don't thank they could have a bettercast and crew. I wish that not only it was on DVD, but the soundtrack was a littleeasier to find. It isn't even on CD. The closet thing I have got to isTape and vinyl. If any body knows any information on how to get eitherplease let me know.

PeggyGoodwin 2013-03-23 17:50:09

Unfortunately Realistic

I saw this disturbing movie when it first came out and was bothered byit, but also understood how it happens with kids from dysfunctionalhomes. Here we are 21 years after this movie was made and kids arekilling kids across our country all the time. Drugs are usuallyinvolved. I liked the fact that this movie showed the apathetic kidsdrinking and smoking pot to "escape." No need to deal with reality.Those that say pot is harmless need their own heads examined. Pot is agateway drug to harder stuff and on its own merit causes kids andadults to do really stupid, awful things. We all knew and know kidsthat were like this in high school. There is so much that could be doneto intervene if adults cared to.This movie is really a timeless classic, albeit a very, very disturbingone. Its subject matter really applies today.

Nettiepooes1 2013-03-22 08:32:48

Creepy, weird and strange well what can i say Crispin Glover is in it

I'm not sure whether i like this film or not. I think it is creepy andcompletely weird.Crispin Glover as always gave a great performance asLayne. I think his performance was really good and one of his best, buti don't like the character at all. Keanu Reeves performance was reallygood, and i truly felt for his character. Over all i think the wholecast gave great performances as felt like the characters were real. Idisliked some, but genuinely felt sorry for others (Keanu Reeves). Iwould like to know if that was the original ending that the film wassupposed to have as it didn't end how i expected it to. I wasdisappointed in the ending and i don't feel that it did the rest of thefilm justice. If you are into creepy, weird and really well differentmovies, go for this one. If you like things that are normal, pleasestay away.

blazerfan40 2013-03-21 21:04:04

excellent movie

this is a terrific film with a terrific cast. It's about friendship,loyalty, and moral resonsibility. when their friend jon kills hisgirlfriendand comes to school bragging about it, his group of friends must decidewhich is more important, protecting their friend or turning him in. youngkeanu reeves is very good as the stoner matt who struggles to comprehendwhat has just happened, and crispen glover of back to future fame ishysterical as the speeded-out blaine who vows to protect jon at all costs.Thsi was based a true story and is well worth checking out. this film alsofeatures dennis hopper as an on the run biker, he and reeves would laterteam up for speed.