"River's Edge" may be one of the most disturbing and depressing studies in apathy among youth that one will ever see. It certainly sharply contrasts with the kind of thing that filmmakers like John Hughes were doing in the 1980s. It's very well acted (for the most part), stone cold sober, and leaves you with something to think about after it's over.Film director Tim Hunter never got around to making very many movies, but this is far and away the best out of what this viewer has seen. He works from a powerful script by Neal Jimenez, who based the story on an unfortunate real life incident, and used people that he actually knew as inspiration for his characters.In a small town, a teen named Samson (Daniel Roebuck), from a supposedly tight clique, snaps one morning and strangles his girlfriend to death. Apparently unmoved by what he's done, he actually brags to his "friends" and takes them to see the dead body. The other kids likewise don't seem terribly concerned, although somewhere deep inside, you know that some of them have to be affected. The self-appointed, screwy ringleader of the group is Layne (Crispin Glover), who fixates on the idea that they have to be loyal to each other, no matter what, and he insists on trying to cover up for Samson. This, despite the fact that Samson clearly doesn't care one way or the other.It's hard to come away from this one unaffected. These are flawed kids, to be sure, but they're compelling and fascinating in their own sordid way. What doesn't help them is that the adult figures around them are fairly useless, by and large, and the parenting is less than adequate. One interesting exception is Feck (the perfectly cast Dennis Hopper), a drug dealer and former biker, who even in light of his own sordid past, despairs over the lack of values and relatable emotions in these youths.Both Hopper and Roebuck give wonderful, bravura performances, but the entire cast does well. Glover may be just a little too excessively eccentric, but otherwise there's nothing to complain about. Even Keanu Reeves impresses with his sensitive turn as Laynes' buddy Matt. Joshua John Miller ("Near Dark") is unforgettable as Matts' bratty and creepy younger brother Tim. Ione Skye Leitch, Roxana Zal, Phillip Brock, and Josh Richman round out the main cast, with some top character actors like Tom Bower, Leo Rossi, and Jim Metzler (the latter had acted for Hunter in his 1982 film "Tex") filling out supporting roles. Danyi Deats has quite the thankless role, being required to play dead (in the nude, no less) for most of her screen time.There are a selection of ass kicking metal tunes on hand (the soundtrack leans heavily on Slayer), as well as a haunting orchestral score by Jurgen Knieper.Hunters' filmmaking to straightforward and to the point. The material is handled in an appropriately sombre way, without the use of any unnecessary stylistics.Highly recommended.

The acting and writing in this movie are so over-the-top that it cannot possibly have been meant to be taken serious. Crispin Glovers' wild-eyed affected performance is not to be missed. It is the pinnacle of his career. Dennis Hopper is perfectly cast as Feck, the aging biker who claims to have killed a girl in the past but that he loved her so it's OK. The psycho kid with the nun chucks is hilarious in a totally non- speaking role. And Keanu Reeves acts like, well, Keanu Reeves. This movie boasts line after line of quotable dialogue. The killers' nick name is John because his last name is 'Tollet" which sounds like toilet. Check out the reason John killed the girl. You will never get tired of this movie. A classic!

River's edge was shockingly disturbing in the sense, it was one of unfeeling. That's how I felt about when it first came out. And that's how I pretty much feel about it today. I guess just some parts of that memory faded. With that being said, it still was one of 87's best films. Shockingly enough, this was based on a similar incident. A big bull of a guy, psycho student, Roebuck, who doesn't take too kindly to people insulting his dead mother, sits by the edge of the river, chanting. Reason being, he has just strangled his naked girlfriend. He returns to school and openly admits this to his friends that include Keanu Reeves, really good here, and Crispin Glover in one of the best performances. So him and his friends go out to the river's edge, on their friend's ute, to confirm their doubts, where their doubts are replaced by looks of shock. It was Glover's reaction to this, that got me. It was kind of a thrill for him, with really only little shock in his initial response if that. As he quoted "It's kind of cool. I feel like Chuck Norris, you know" That bit of dialogue sounded out of place, but I think he could of used some other actors name instead of picking on Chuckie. And we're left with the situation, "Who's gonna do the right thing", and that's not just morally. Lane (Crispin Glover) keeps John (Roebuck), harbored at a house, occupied by an old vet, Feck (Dennis Hopper who has been better). He killed a girl too, Ellie, the cops still looking for him, where in his defence, he explains to John, "I was in love". And like most of the others in this sleepy town, he's on drugs too, a good source of supply to the young crowd. I didn't feel Hopper's character was going anywhere, but he is a surprise here, as in the film's resolution. I loved how he used this doll as a substitute for Ellie. Him, John, and Ellie, in the liquor store I loved as I did with them on the river at night, John venting, exposing more of his character. River's Edge is depressing too, the dark aura of this little town, a top pic of location. It's the depressing spots of the moment I have to tolerate, every time I watch it. It's easy to see how a lot of people could say this film was negative in it's view of teenagers, not having unfeeling here. I thought this too. But if this is how it happened, this is how it happened. And if they all did, then of course, this film would of never been made. This movie was a great starting block for a lot of these young actors in the impressively good performances, they gave, that they are remembered for. Especially the two girls. You couldn't of got a better cast of actors. Roebuck branched out in a number of other roles, proving him to be one hell of an actor. He was wasted in films like, Final Destination and Money Talks. He actually reminds me somewhat of my half brother, in looks. Even Joshua Miller as Mikie, Keanu's little, really mixed up brother, stays with me. Mikie's hoodlum friend, swinging numbchucks at Keanu was a great moment. Miller was one of those special kid actors that rose above the others, doing a few other films, then vanishing. Being the first witness to John's murder, from a nearby footbridge, his non reaction was freaky, as the talented kid actor himself. And this was just after he let his sister's doll drop into the river. At least the last scene does show us there is some remorse in the world and people are human. A must watch, but this film certainly won't appeal to everyone, who still should see it.

In many ways, this movie defined what I was not at the time – suburban, stoned, a metalhead – and it was an opportunity for me to feel moral superiority over "normal" American teenagers. But, I think that I was drawn in on a similar level to the movies I identified with more closely from the punk world ("Repo Man," "Sid & Nancy," "Suburbia"), which were themselves fairly critical adult statements about youthful apathy. This movie offers a kind of uncertain hope in the form of Keanu Reeves' character (and he's never been better), but in the end we begin to wonder if he did the right thing for the right reasons, or sort of blundered into it the way Crispin Glover blunders into a fanatical dedication to being wrong. It does remain thoughtful, if scary, and effective on other levels as well, including humor, oddly enough.