The River King (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Nick Willing

Writers:

Alice Hoffman (novel)
David Kane (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It's the truth that haunts us

Plot:

Abel Grey is sent to investigate the death of a boy from an exclusive local school, who is found floating in the river...

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Teacher | Hazing | Policeman | Head Held Under Water

Cast

Edward Burns	...	Abel Grey
Jennifer Ehle	...	Betsy Chase
Thomas Gibson	...	August 'Gus' Pierce
John Kapelos	...	Joey Tosh
Jamie Thomas King	...	Harry McKenna (as Jamie King)
Rachelle Lefevre	...	Carlin Leander
Bruce Murphy	...	Joey's Son
David Gibson McLean	...	Young Abel (as David Maclean)
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Eric Herman
Ross Petty	...	The Dean
David Christoffel	...	Matt Farris
Richard Fitzpatrick	...	Police Chief
Karl Pruner	...	Walter Pierce
Jonathan Malen	...	Nathaniel Gibb
Jeff A. Wright	...	Robbie (as Jeff Wright)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent images.

Runtime:

USA:95 min (DVD version) | Canada:99 min

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11 | Italy:T | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Kismet Film Company

Trivia:

At the end of the film, Abel's father, Ernest, recalls how Abel's brother had hugged him the day that he committed suicide. Ernest then remarks that he found it strange because it wasn't Frank's way. This dialogue is taken directly from a scene where Abel is talking to his mother rather than his father.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of snow on the ground and sidewalks changes throughout the movie. This is noticeable starting in the opening minutes of the movie when Abel and Joey are driving through town.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joey Tosh: Get in there!

Soundtrack:

Midnight Lightning

I liked it

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."