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River's Edge

River's Edge

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1986

A group of high-school friends must come to terms with the fact that one of them, Samson, killed another, Jamie. Faced with the brutality of death, each must decide whether to turn their friend in to the police, or to help him escape the consequences of his dreadful deed.

Movie details

River's Edge

“Which was worse? The murder or what came after?”

1986 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

A group of high-school friends must come to terms with the fact that one of them, Samson, killed another, Jamie. Faced with the brutality of death, each must decide whether to turn their friend in to the police, or to help him escape the consequences of his dreadful deed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over River's Edge?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tim Hunter

Written by

Neal Jimenez

Crispin Glover

Crispin Glover

Layne

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves

Matt

Ione Skye

Ione Skye

Clarissa

Roxana Zal

Roxana Zal

Maggie

Daniel Roebuck

Daniel Roebuck

Samson

Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper

Feck

Joshua John Miller

Joshua John Miller

Tim

Court is in session

Put River's Edge on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.