The River Thief

"Some places change things some days, some people... they can put a mark on you that won't ever wash off."

"The river thief" managed to leave me speechless. And this merely by the denouement. The run-up was anything but interesting. It shows the life of Diz (Joel Courtney) as he leads it now. A carefree existence in which he steals anything he deems necessary, without feeling bad about it. He has no sense of values. Diz is a street boy whose mother abandoned him and left him behind in an alley . And now he's looking for his natural father as he follows the banks of the Snake River. How long he has been doing this, isn't really made clear. And the motive to seek his father is also hazy. His vagabond existence is halted when he meets Selah (Raleigh Cain). She's a waitress in a kind of burger joint where she gets to know the habits of Diz. Namely not paying for the consumed burgers. Selah's grandfather Marty (Tommy Cash. Yep, brother of the famous Johnny Cash) tries to teach the boy some life lessons and instead of giving him a scolding, he invites Diz for a steak night.

Clearly grandfather Marty is a true religious person. Before you know it, all sorts of religious philosophies are exposed. About gifts and that you shouldn't take life for granted. And also about those priceless things in life such as your heartbeat and your senses. When Diz succeeds in stealing a considerable amount of drug money in a very simplistic way, this is the beginning of a naive attempt to grow a friendship between him and Selah. One thing struck me. How the egocentric Diz undergoes a metamorphosis in such a short time. From one moment to the next he changes from being an indifferent person into someone who appreciates values ​​such as forgiveness and repentance. Probably for the first time in his life he's facing a sense of guilt. He tries to apologize by flooding Selah with expensive gifts, which in turn creates a twofold problem. On the one hand, Selah doesn't want this and she makes this absolutely clear. Secondly, the criminals could easily trace Diz because of this outrageous behavior. As a result Marty and Selah are also placed in a vulnerable position.

Despite the limited budget, "The river thief" is blessed (sorry) with some brilliant impressions of the winding Snake River and other static nature scenes. In short, when looking at the technical side, it all looks professional enough. In terms of acting, it wasn't too bad. Joel Courtney acts natural and convinces as the casual and spry Diz. Raleigh Cain is as passionate in her acting as Selah is in person, but sometimes it felt rather drab. And Tommy Cash is the oracle of the film. Nothing more nothing less. These are certainly not top performances, but they are at least better than those of the two gangsters Saul (Paul Johansson) and Clyde (Bas Rutten). And I don't blame the actors themselves, but rather the script. It portrays these two figures in a fairly implausible and dumb way.

Unfortunately, the content of this film is similar to the way in which the Snake River runs. Slowly it proceeds without any significant, exciting or tense moment. I read some articles where they labeled this as a "Christian movie". Well for me it didn't feel like a Christian movie at all. Besides, each film can be interpreted in such a way that people say there's some kind of religious message hiding in it. Marty being a moralist, who tries to learn Diz certain life values, doesn't make this a Christian movie suddenly. But I can tell you without hesitation, the surprising denouement totally blew me away. Not because of its violent nature, but mainly because I didn't see this one coming. So, although there are a few bombastic topics about gratitude, forgiveness and self-sacrifice, it all felt rather contrived and banal to me. And even if there would be a deeper meaning hiding somewhere in this film, I guess it completely eluded me. Most likely there'll be some philosophizing about this movie in theological circles. Unfortunately my intelligence falls short when talking about spirituality. Thank God.

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I'm surprised one of the top user reviews criticizes the end (last 20-30 minutes) of the film. To me, that part is what took it from a decent film, to a great film. It was artistic yet intense, and just great storytelling. I want to say so much more but I really don't want to spoil any specifics for anyone.

The only negative thing I have to say is on the acting. Most of the characters - the boy, the girl, the drug traffickers - did a good job. But the grandpa, while I actually thought he was a good character, just didn't pull off a lot of the lines in a way that seemed natural. The guitar aspect with him was cool, and his attitude and mannerisms fit the character, but I just think a different actor for the grandpa could have done a much better job. Someone with a little more acting experience and gusto.

If you're familiar with N.D. Wilson's children's novels, you know you're in for a treat with The River Thief, his first feature film.

This film breaks from the typical Christian film by telling a good story first and foremost. A lost, father-hungry boy discovering true love. Not the sappy, romantic love of your typical Hollywood flick (this girl wouldn't have any of that), but rather the kind of love that creates a longing to live or die for someone else (something new for Diz).

A wonderful family film, although there are some rough scenes. My 7-year-old son was spellbound, and somewhat affected by the rough parts. Yet this is the kind of story that is healthy. The emotion, drama, and violence of this *good* story are like emotional boot camp; it allows a young boy or girl to experience these emotions of grief and fear along with the positive life lesson that a good story provides.

As a resident of the Northwest where this was shot, I also appreciated the cinematography, which was outstanding! Beautiful aerial views in particular. I highly recommend The River Thief!

"The River Thief" has a beautiful message portrayed in a powerful way. The first feature film written and directed by bestselling author N.D. Wilson, "The River Thief" is produced with excellence. The cinematography is gorgeous. The acting is strong and believable, and the characters have a depth that entices one to care about what happens to them.

Parents should know this film could be rated PG-13, as it contains a few scenes of graphic violence and some mild profanity. The teens and adults in our family give "The River Thief" two thumbs up, and hope N.D. Wilson will create many more films in the future!

This film was simple, yet creative, and quite well done. Wilson's style was, as in everything he does, very distinctive and pleasing. I enjoy the way he makes each story (whether it be book or film) have an individual and interesting cultural setting. The characters were properly developed and interesting, especially taking into consideration the slightly shorter than average length of the film. The twist ending actually surprised me quite a bit and that is impressive, as I (apparently wrongly) assumed I was familiar enough with the director's style to not let something like that slip up on me.

There were a few things that were a bit rough around the edges, but overall I was pleased with this film and would likely watch it again. There is clearly has a talent for filmography here, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to quality, Mr. Wilson. I hope to see more films of yours in the future.