River Wild: A Dive into Crime and Sharks in 1940s Australia
Ernie (Arthur Angel), a down-on-his-luck businessman, has a team of divers. Dylan (Jack Ryan), a similarly unfortunate mobster, has a sunken car filled with freshly stolen gold bullion. Fate throws them together, each seeing the other as their last hope. However, a third player enters the scene: a massive river shark, eager to tear apart anyone who dares approach the precious cargo.
Still from “River Wild”
Everything you might learn about “River Wild” beforehand suggests a shark-horror film in the vein of Spielberg’s timeless “Jaws.” That’s what makes watching this film, which so thoroughly subverts expectations, all the more interesting. First and foremost, “River Wild” is an intimate drama, even though it unfolds almost entirely outdoors on a river beach. Three divers and three mobsters initially seem to be working together. Later, of course, it becomes clear that their interests are far from aligned, and survival is not guaranteed for any of the participants in this riverside rendezvous. The horror element in “River Wild” takes a backseat – the shark is rarely seen, and the blood flows more like a trickling stream than a raging river.
Still from “River Wild”
Director Matthew Holmes has crafted a very precise film, so streamlined that it seems there’s nothing to latch onto. The protagonists are virtuous and innocent, presented with all the appropriate gender and ethnic diversity for 1940s Australia. The antagonists, on the other hand, are thoroughly awful, doing everything possible to avoid eliciting any sympathy. What saves “River Wild” is the inspired choice of profession for the characters. Anyone can find themselves defenseless against a brazen gang of killers; thousands of films have already explored that. But how many of them show, in detail, diving suits from eighty years ago that resemble spacesuits? It’s the preparations for the dives that are most captivating in the film.
Still from “River Wild”
Fortunately, “River Wild” doesn’t rely solely on the diving sequences. The film features two performances that, while not outstanding, are very good. Jack Ryan, who plays the main antagonist, could be mistaken for Kevin Costner at his peak moments. Hermione Corfield is responsible for the positive charisma in the film, and no matter how idealistic and naive her character may be, it’s impossible not to believe her shining eyes. If the director had been a little bolder, something other than hatred and contempt would have emerged between their characters, but “River Wild” is as didactic and old-fashioned as possible.
Didactic and Old-Fashioned: A Safe Bet
And perhaps, if you had to choose two words to describe the entire film, those words would be “didactic” and “old-fashioned.” “River Wild” is perfect for television, not for the cinema. A comfortable runtime of 85 minutes, a strict moral at the end, the absence of any special effects (or effects in general), adherence to all the genre conventions without a hint of irony, and a single location for 95% of the runtime – director Matthew Holmes played it safe. This isn’t due to a debutant’s timidity but rather the experienced hand of a master. Holmes, who started as an animator, has been in live-action feature films for almost 20 years and knows exactly what he’s doing.
A Foundation for the Bold
In “River Wild,” there’s no room for surprises, but there’s also no room for disappointment. The mechanism of a drama about ordinary people confronting criminality was perfected decades ago, and director Holmes doesn’t bring anything new to it. However, it’s precisely these films, so standard in their neutrality, that serve as the foundation for everything great or at least original that more daring authors can create.