Relações Criminosas

THE RIVER MURDERS amazed me. I came across this title quite by chance when I was researching Ray Liotta in IDENTITY. Fascinated by his work this movie seems quite tempting and the title had a certain element of eerie chill into it. Although it is a hunt for a serial killer who is on the move, THE RIVER MURDERS brings in a biblical connotation to its plot. Although the biblical implication is not well conveyed through the climax of the thriller, the social impact that drives a sane man into being a serial killer as John Lee (Michael Rodrick) is an appropriate theme that needs discussion. Although I entirely disagree with how the movie end. Why? The answer is quite a simple one. An incident of the past drives a child into a certain psychological state that manifests into a greater issue with maturity. This child who becomes a serial killer is then later the criminal. Why is it that those who did the wrong deed at first are not being questioned? Should they not be equally responsible for the outcome of their actions? There is quite a significant depth to the theme discussed in this production, however it is poorly executed. In terms of potential it's exuberant; in terms of execution and presentation it lacks certain finesse.

This movie is clearly not for those who buy there movie tickets by looking at the celebrities on the poster or for those who search for a teaser trailer that has cost as much as the entire production itself. If you have enjoyed the following movies, I am certain you will appreciate this. TRUST, THE WAY BACK, SCHINDLERS LIST, THE WORLDS FASTEST Indian are a few movies right from the tip of my tongue. If you have watched and noted any of the following titles it is most certain, that this production is a good choice on a slow weekend.

One may question why I have not mentioned what this heated theme is, the answer is simple, the theme on its own creates the thriller and the suspense, hence for the benefit of those who will show interest in the movie it will not be discussed.

Detective Jack is a suspect in a murder, since he has a history of sexual relations with the victim. Detective Jack who is married for the past8-9 years is requested by Captain Langley to surrender his badge and gun until his name has been cleared by the authorities. Meanwhile Agent Vuckovitch of the FBI who is trailing the serial killer comes into town in pursuit only to find out that every single victim seem to have had sexual relations with Detective Jack during some point of their lives. What the authorities are unable to find out is if all this is coincidental or if all this is a well-crafted killing spree targeting all ex companions of Detective Jack? If it is a well-crafted killing spree would it put Detective Jacks wife Ana in danger? How will a detective who is suspended off the force pending clearance for the murders protect his wife? Will he be reinstated in time? Will the arrogance of the FBI result in the death of Ana?

Title: The River Murders Directed by: Rich Cowan Starring: Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, Ving Rhames , Gisele Fraga, Sarah Ann Schultz& Michael Rodrick Rated: R Rating: 06/10

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 was kinda looking forward to this movie having seen some of the media pictures and after watching 15mins of it, I was ready to take a nap. Ray Liota has never really been the 'up-front' guy that you expect to see in a movie like this and he does nothing to change the outlook in this movie either. Often seen walking around with his pot-belly sticking out and frequently mouthing a bunch of 'cliched' sentences, his character is so different from the portrayed 'guy who has slept with hundred's of women and even old flames can't keep there hands off' type of guy that the weak script calls for. The story is weak to the point of being funny. Its like the script for this has been made up from scenes and lines from some of the (much) better offerings in this genre. All of the characters are way too predictable and offer nothing that hasn't already been done to death. I even found the soundtrack also very annoying and repetitive. I'm no real film buff nor a real movie critic but this movie really owes everything it makes from the promotion. Unfortunately, if you pay to see this you'll come out of the movie theater feeling ripped off.

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?

well i saw the plot and decided to watch simply because i don't remember watching any serial murder movies lately...

i was not expecting anything from the movie because i knew in the first place that it is a low budget project but since the plot was appealing i went ahead and to my surprise i liked this movie in many ways. first the story itself. technically no loopholes in the script. second,characters were totally convincing and it didn't occurred at any point of time that they are unknown or never been in the lime light many times which usually happens in a small budget productions that everything is fine but star cast with poor performance brings the house down. so hats off to the stars of this movie. Third, even without showing much violence the director was able to portray the right scenario of crime scenes. so one dimension of the direction where you don't need a chainsaw or a shotgun to paint the walls with blood and body parts to make it a gore fest. You can look over the present resources and develop a plan to use them in a best possible manner. that's what the director has been able to pulled off. And last but not the least the characters in this movie don't behave in the typical way which we always make fun while watching such movies when we felt that this is the most stupidest thing to do in such a situation like even the most famous movies franchise SAW forced us to think that many times. so showing some things out of league was refreshing to me simply because it makes sense. There is this scene where the female partner of Lotta meets a guy and she refuses to date him simply because his partner is in trouble and she suspects that it is not a coincident that suddenly a guy turns up who seems nice and why he is interested in dating a cop which seems out of ordinary and she suspects that he might be dangerous but it would not have happened in the SAW or any other serial killer movies. so credit goes to director who applied logic with his characters thinking making it more of a thinking character's movie than merely simple performance where character is repeating his lines without bringing feel about his character.

Overall it is a small budget DVD release so i don't want you fellows to expect anything great from this movie but I'd say this technically it is decent film who does OK and has nice performance by stars, also the pace of the story is good so if is a good way to kill time at home and most of you might feel good about it. so given the limitations of the director & producers i would say that it is a nice attempt though screenplay could have been more tight but anyway it is refreshing. upcoming directors might learn something from this movie. My rating 7/10 simply because their hard work entertained me.