Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

River's Edge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 22, 2019

Tim Hunter's " River's Edge" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival programs with Rochard Linklater; and vintage audio commentary by Tim Hunter. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Dead end

Note: The text below was first used for our review of Camera Obscura's Limited Edition of River's Edge.

Daniel Roebuck’s summation of Tim Hunter’s River’s Edge is spot on, and I would like to quickly explain why. In a video program that is included on this release, the actor correctly points out that River’s Edge is essentially the flip side of all the great teen comedies that John Hughes made before it because it sees life from the opposite angle. Indeed, the kids that Hughes placed in Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club also had their issues and did not trust the system, but at the end he always showed them a path to a happier future. It is why in Hughes’ films humor, romance, and friendship are always major themes -- they are part of a very positive take on life. This isn’t the case with River’s Edge. The kids in this film come from a bleak working-class environment, and they are never given a chance to believe that the path from Hughes’ film exists. They are disillusioned outcasts that are slowly heading in a completely different direction, and it is only a matter of time before their misery crushes them. (Marc Rocco’s Where the Day Takes You goes even a step further as it follows a motley crew of young outcasts and drifters that have completely given up on life).

Hunter’s film is set in a small town somewhere on the West Coast, where all of the adult residents are barely making ends meet. Because of the harsh economic conditions, many parents have essentially relinquished their parental duties as well, secretly hoping that the teachers from the local school will do what is necessary to keep their sons and daughters out of trouble. In this dangerous vacuum, the popular bully Samson (Roebuck) kills his girlfriend on the banks of a nearby river and then while still under the influence of cheap drugs and alcohol confesses his crime to his best pals. At first, they accuse him of being a terrible joker, but when he nonchalantly agrees to prove them wrong and then shows them the cold body of his girlfriend, they suddenly realize that something truly horrible has happened in their town. After the initial shock, the outspoken stoner Layne (a wonderful Crispin Glover) demands that they all ought to remain loyal to each other so that they can protect their friendship, and by doing so let time take care of the ‘accident’. Matt (Keanu Reeves), Layne’s best pal, however, begins drifting away. While the group struggles to move away from the ‘accident’ the frustrated Layne decides to take matters into his hands, and for an extra dose of inspiration visits the kooky pot-dealer Feck (Dennis Hopper) who has fallen in love with his favorite blowup doll. Shortly after, Layne proceeds to fix the mess that Samson has created, but things quickly get out of control.

The film’s laid-back attitude and the profiles of the teenagers are incredibly deceiving. Indeed, even after Samson announces his horrific act for a while the town still very much looks like Slackers Central, a quiet and safe place where teenagers can roam free and do all the silly things that make them feel alive. But the more time Hunter’s camera spends observing the peacefulness and the routines of the teenagers, the clearer it becomes that the town’s foundation is rotten. (The segment where the heavily stoned Layne passes out in his car and spends the night on a lonely crossroad is actually quite creepy). The emergence of the pot-dealer then permanently alters the film’s atmosphere and essentially pushes it into David Lynch territory.

Back in the late ‘80s, a lot of people did not get Hunter’s film because it offered a diagnosis of small-town America that appeared way too pessimistic to them. Unfortunately, the erosion of the values and structural collapse that are at the heart of it turned out to be incredibly accurate. Without the quirky humor that is used as a facade to hide them, this film basically sums up perfectly the early stage of the socio-economic sickness that a few decades later will bring down hundreds of thousands of different communities across the Heartland.

Hunter was able to secure the services of cinematographer Frederick Elmes, who later on went on to work on such critically acclaimed films as David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth, and Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm.

River's Edge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tim Hunter's River's Edge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same older MGM master that Kino Lorber worked when they prepared this release and Camera Obsucara used to produce this release of River's Edge. However, the technical presentation here has a lot more in common with the one from Camera Obscura's release.

So, as I expected, it appears that the folks at Camera Obscura did perform some specific optimizations on their release because density levels and clarity appear virtually identical, a lot of the darker footage here seems just a tiny bit flatter. It is largely due to the fact that grain appears a bit looser and noisier, while on the other release it is slightly tighter and and as a result delineation is stronger. However, I sense that the difference will likely be posted only by folks who have larger screeners or project, because overall definition and depth are very similar. Predictably, the color grading is better than that of the Kino Lorber release, and so is the overall dynamic range of the visuals. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

River's Edge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The basic qualities of the lossless track are identical to those of the lossless track from the Camera Obscura release. I did some random tests in different parts of the film and i could not detect any stability, clarity, or balance discrepancies to report. Obviously, this is very good news.

River's Edge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Richard Linklater Introduction -a vintage introduction to River's Edge by Richard Linklater. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for River's Edge. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this vintage audio commentary, director Tim Hunter discusses in great detail the real murder case that inspired River's Edge, the casting process (the arrival of Crispin Glover apparently had a pretty dramatic effect), the California locations that were chosen for the film and Frederick Elmes' contribution, the tone and atmosphere of the film, etc. There are also some interesting comments about the film's critical reception.

• Richard Linklater Q&A with Lars Nilsen - this session was filmed after a screening of River's Edge at the Austin Film Society. The bulk of the comments address the ambience of the film as well as the identities of its characters and the dilemmas that they face. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

River's Edge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you like River's Edge as much as I do, it is not a bad idea to consider picking up this release and the recent release that German label Camera Obscura produced. I think that overall the German release has the best technical presentation, but there are a couple of pieces on this release with Richard Linklater in which he deconstructs the film quite nicely that are not included on the other release. If you reside in North America, leep in mind that you will need a Region-B or Region-Free player to access the content on these releases. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.