The River Murders

This is the kind of low budget movie offering a mix of seasoned actors, who do a great job with the material and their screen time, and not so seasoned ones who fill in the blanks.

Liotta is top notch and Slater is his usual enjoyable self.

Michael Rodrick has got game and Sarah Ann Schultz creates a very hot detective.

With a handful of surprising twists and few glaring errors, it managed to tell a really interesting story by avoiding the usual pitfalls of guns and sexploitation.

This had the look and feeling of those B-movies of the eighties where you could sit in front of the picture and be just captivated by the storytelling and the performance of thespians who don't need big bucks for them to show they can act.

A good effort.

As for the whiners? Well, 2 species have sprung on IMDb in the last few years: those who like nothing and those who hate everything.

As for the rest: you'll probably enjoy the surprises as well as I did.

THE RIVER MURDERS BASIC PLOT: Jack Verdon (played by Ray Liotta ) has been a cop for 28 years, when out of nowhere, the women in his life, both past and present, are being murdered. At first it seems to be just a coincidence, but it quickly becomes evident, someone is targeting every woman Jack has ever slept with.

After two murders, the FBI is called in and assigns Agent Vuckovitch (played by Christian Slater) when it becomes clear that a serial killer is involved. Jack's life is painfully laid bare, and because he waited until later in life to marry, he's had many sexual partners. It's a race against time, trying to protect them all, and figure out who the killer could be, and what are his motives.

WHAT DOES WORK: *Christian Slater is fantastic as the sardonic, politically incorrect FBI agent. He pulls off his zingers with perfection.

*Ving Rhames is very believable as police Captain Langley who stands by Jack through it all.

*Sarah Ann Schultz does a great job as Jack's partner, Jenny Thames. She has many intense scenes, and is authentic in all of them.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *Ana Verdon (Played by Gisele Fraga ) is Jack's wife. She is younger, and really doesn't fit. I'm sure Gisele Fraga is a fine actress, but miscast in this role. She and Liotta have no chemistry, and this is a problem, since much of the story is sexual in nature. Many scenes that should be emotionally fraught, are acted as if the two of them have just met (instead of being a married couple of 8 years).

*A few of Liotta's scenes seem forced. What's supposed to be an emotional moment at Jack's mother's grave falls flat.

*Some of the music\score is an odd choice. Some of it is a horror movie score, and the rest is just odd. I think they were going for a "spiritual" sounding score, but it just comes off wrong.

TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IT THE QUESTION: If you are a fan of thrillers, serial killer plot lines, and mysteries in general, then I would recommend this movie. It is graphic, so if you are more of a cozy mysteries type of person, I'd give this a pass. But if you like gritty, no punches pulled thrillers, you'll probably like this one.

CLOSING NOTES: *I don't believe in trigger warnings except in the case of rape or animal abuse. This movie does contain graphic depictions of rape, so be forewarned.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

I mean I wasn't expecting a blockbuster hit but this movie is just pitiful. To begin the movie wastes no time getting the ball rolling but the mood is far from suspenseful or thrilling. Each scene just kind of drags on to the next with a stale sense of predictability. The killer is so obviously revealed early on and lacks any real depth or originally outside of the lame stigma appointed to the character. The music doesn't help much as it sounds like the same continual track being repeated from the beginning to the end of the movie. The pace is lackluster, uneventful and plays out mediocre at best. Overall this movie suffers from a weak run of the mill script that fails to draw in the audience to the point where you don't care to finish the movie. Sorry to say but this movie is truly boring.

I love Ray Liotta (Goodfellas...). There is something about his eyes and his interpretation of text that plants him in the garden of good actors. Ving Rhames and Christian Slater are not slouches; they both have a body of work that they can be proud of.

The film has shortcomings but I want to compliment the actors, crew, and artists involved. It's hard to hit the ball out of the park every time but they suited up and did the best they could.

What I see is a script that had quite a few voices that had to be placated in order for the film to be made. There are too many levels of intellect and articulation. Nobody edited the script. The script teeters uncomfortably between genres; the director creates a new sub-genre of pornography at times and then the contextual shots want to make the film artsy. Crime-Porn? I guess.

The script isn't even really that insufferable. The problem is with he pacing, the camera work, the editing, and the dumbing down of EVERY element--! Nobody looks good...and if no one looks good what's the point?

Okay, there's been a plethora of serial murder type movies in the last 20 years. Is this just another one ? Probably. It's not exactly ground breaking but it is fast paced and keeps you guessing. It is unique in some ways because although it exposes the killer fairly early on it conceals their motive until late in the movie. I've always considered Ray Liotta a 'B Grade' actor, guilty far too often of merely reading his lines and showing fake emotion. Whilst there are times when he's guilty of these shortcomings again in this movie, his performance for most part is solid and convincing. The support cast is equally strong and the underrated Christian Slater also shines but is sadly lacking in screen time. A haunting soundtrack and tight dialogue makes for enjoyable movie if the genre is your thing. Recommended viewing 8/10