The River King

It was a very good movie, with a wonderful mood and fairly strong story, although it wasn't telling the story you thought it was. The characters were very strongly drawn, I thought, and the pacing was terrific.

Nothing blew up, no CGi effects, and it's not based on a comic book, but I liked it anyway. And the two women leads were well worth watching, and Edward Burns is worth watching anytime. The musical score was well chosen to pace the movie.

I recommend it for a contemplative mood, when you're in the mood to "curl up with a good movie."

The movie had everything set up to be a great feature, but instead turned out to be a dud. Very disappointing.

It starts out with a body found in the river. Two cops find it (one being Ed Burns). They flip flop from being completely inept to actually caring. While they're not sure what to do with the body, they notice a strange feature on the corpse's chest. Ed Burns takes this case seriously as everyone else wants to dismiss it so quickly as a suicide or accident. This is the great plot build up. The rest is downhill.

Movie is still nice to watch if you like Ed Burns but a drag on entertainment.

The River King is a refreshing movie. It has none of the usual clichés. The plot is not predictable. The movie presents the viewer with little hooks and clues that leave one wondering about how they all come together. At times, I was left wondering what type of movie is this? Is it a horror movie? Is it sci-fi? Is it a ghost story? The actors performed their roles convincingly. The character Abel Grey leads the viewer to believe in what he suspects is happening, that he is right. Carlin's character has the right balance, not too dumb, not too incredibly (ie unrealistically) smart, just like a regular person. No super heroes in this movie.

The cinematography and background music is so seductive and blends very well with the subject of the film. The time just fly by as the main characters arrive at a very plausible ending.

If you're tired of comic book hero movies, or TV-like stories, or violence, or CSI-like sleuthing then check out 'The River King'. I'm really happy that I did.

As a thriller, The River King is as fast paced as thawing ice. Its intensity is in the isolation and disillusionment of a man who is determined to uncover the truth, though nothing is what it seems.

The body of a teenage boy is discovered in an ice-clogged river and two local cops from the bumbling school of "what do we do now?" investigate his death. An accident, suicide or homicide? Seems straightforward, except that one of the cops is seeing things that aren't there and a photography teacher is developing some eerie pictures. A conspiracy, misperception, or paranormal haunting? This intriguing film that uses sleight of hand to make you think it is about one thing, when it is actually about another.

No extras on the DVD.

I don't know why it is called "The River King", but it is a compelling movie. It has a good story line. There are some great possible endings and at least one of the best was selected. Any weak moments are covered over pretty well by the fine, believable acting of Edward Burns. Jennifer Ehle is worth watching anytime. Rachelle LeFevre should do well in the acting business. I'd recommend the movie to anyone who is interested in entertainment without unrealistic computer graphics. It was most entertaining. While it may well perpetuate the "myth" that all elite schools have bad boys leading other bad boys in deadly hazing rituals, it does not portray them in a good light.