River Wild

Going on a white water rafting trip is the closest experience many people get to the kind of thrills seen in the average action movie. With a skilled guide present to provide instruction, it can be relatively safe and it doesn’t require a lot of experience, but of course, there are plenty of more serious options which even seasoned experts balk at. Joey (Leighton Mester) has some experience but she’s out of practice. Her brother Gray (Taran Killam) is a professional guide who is pleased to have persuaded her, after a long time trying, to join him on a river trip with two tourists. What he hasn’t told her is that his friend Trevor (Adam Brody, Meester’s real life husband) will also be there. Trevor is just out of prison but, as it later becomes clear, that’s not the only reason why he makes Joey feel uncomfortable.

A reimagining of the 1994 film which pitted Meryl Streep against Kevin Bacon, this film doesn’t waste much time on build-up before we get to the action. The initial journey down the river is fairly calm, but it takes the quintet deep into the wilderness. There they set up camp, and Joey, a doctor, is called upon to step in when one of the tourists receives a head injury. The circumstances of the injury are uncertain, however, and a briefly exchanged word raises suspicion. The trouble is, this is not a situation in which anybody, even if potentially dangerous, can be left behind. The injured woman needs urgent medical treatment, and the only way they’re going to get that it time is to row through the rapids by night to the nearest ranger station, where they can summon help – if they make it.

That’s just the first of a series of challenges in a film which may not quite match the thrills of the original but which certainly has its moments. Its major weakness is its bad guy, whose character and motivation are underdeveloped, understood in old fashioned terms which, if you’ll excuse the pun, just don’t hold water. The parts of the story which see him get into deeper trouble feel contrived and a subplot concerning his complex relationship with one of the other characters falls short of its potential. Meester is a strong lead, however, giving the film some much needed emotional force without oversimplifying it. Her character repeatedly makes smart decisions which aren’t overexplained. There’s also first class support from Olivia Swann, who is clearly ready to headline a film with this kind of budget herself.

Much of the budget goes into the stunt work and water photography, an area in which director Ben Ketai is able to take advantage of advances in technology and do things which the previous film couldn’t. As such, the rapids present a more serious antagonist in their own right. The beauty of Gevorg Gev Juguryan’s cinematography also contributes to the atmosphere by facilitating contrast between the serene impression given by the forested hills and the violence where the water hits the rocks. By drawing the eye upwards he emphasises the rafters’ isolation but also shows us something of what’s going on in Joey’s head as she tries to separate her mind from the chaos around her and search for a solution.

If, for whatever reason, you prefer to get your rafting thrills in the safety of a cinema, River Wild will do the job. As far as its other thriller aspects are concerned, however, it’s strictly for beginners.