Blu-ray Review – River’s Edge

The kids of America get real dark in 1987's "River's Edge," an exaggerated mash-up of juvenile delinquent movies from the 1950s and teen malaise of the 1980s. Those accustomed to a traditional read of adolescent panic in the face of behavioral extremity are bound to be baffled by director Tim Hunter's strange effort. Favoring quirk and blunt edges to performances, the feature takes some time to get used to, never quite gelling as a statement of moral erosion or a dissection of volatile peer politics. However, it's an interesting film, filled with meditative moments and fragments of psychological insight that help to deepen the core conflict. "River's Edge" certainly isn't something that's watched casually, confronting viewers with a sharp display of developing insanity that demands a unique level of concentration, tasked to get past the picture's era-specific flavorings and isolate its primal scream intent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com