The River Reviews

Before breaking through in Hollywood with 'Lethal Weapon', Mel Gibson made this rather unseen and forgotten drama. Since I have weak spot for his movies, I was rather eager to check it out. In spite of his lately rather tumultuous and controversial private life, I always thought that Mel Gibson was an intriguing actor especially when he is not working on an action flick. However, he never got much more recognition and that's too bad. This movie is a good example. It is a rather generic and predictable drama but Gibson, like Sissy Spacek and Scott Glenn, was actually pretty good and delivered a decent performance. Furthermore, I did enjoy the directing and the whole thing was definitely watchable. It's just too bad they didn't add much to the subject. I mean, I have seen my share of movies dealing with poor farmers fighting against a ruthless corporation by now and the whole thing was just too predictable. Still, it is very well made drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Mel Gibson's movies.