River's Edge
1986 · Movie · R · 100 min · ★ 6.5 · 81% critics
A tight-knit group of high school friends is shaken when they learn one of them has killed another teen. As shock turns into uneasy silence, they wrestle with loyalty, fear, and guilt while deciding whether to report what they know or protect their friend from consequences.
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Details
- Years
- 1986
- Release date
- 1986-10-10
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 81/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.5/10 (314 votes)
- Budget
- $1,700,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a bleak, unsettling teen crime drama about apathy and moral choices, in the vein of Heathers or Over the Edge; Not for you if you avoid disturbing themes, deadened characters, or harsh, depressing stories.
Pros: gripping, unsettling story; strong performances; memorable heavy metal soundtrack | Cons: disturbing subject matter; uneven, over-the-top acting; bleak, depressing tone
Themes
- drug dealer
- high school
- police
- gun
- friends
- murder
- dead body
- drugs
- apathy
- secret
- teenager
Awards & recognition
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Screenplay · 1988
- Sundance Special Jury Recognition · 1987
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Screenplay · 1988 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Director · 1988 · nominated
Cast & crew
Crispin Glover
as Layne
Keanu Reeves
as Matt
Ione Skye
as Clarissa
Roxana Zal
as Maggie
Daniel Roebuck
as Samson
Dennis Hopper
as Feck
Joshua John Miller
as Tim
Tom Bower
as Bennett
Danyi Deats
as Jamie
Constance Forslund
as Madeleine
Directed by Tim Hunter