Good movie but grossly overrated

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

"The River Rat" is very much like a ghost story - not too much depth, but plenty of adventure and cheap thrills to keep you interested. The acting is generally good. Tommy Lee Jones and Brian Dennehy are reliable as ever, if Dennehy's character is a good bit too over-the-top. It was interesting to see Martha Plimpton so young, playing a role very much reminiscent of one she did three years later in "Shy People".This is the only film both written and directed by Thomas Rickman. It's easy to see why. Not to say that the script is necessarily bad - the dialogue is clever, and the characters are fleshed out for the most part. The main weakness is the schizophrenic overall quality of the story he's trying to tell. When he sticks to real life and family drama, it works. When he tries to turn it into a thriller, everything comes crashing down. In theory, Rickman could have filmed it in a way that brought things together, but he tends to direct in a very unrestrained sort of way, lacking the ingenuity to really pull it off.I liked "The River Rat" mainly for it's nice visual feel, and the occasional sense of reality that pushed through the lazier aspects of production. There's a lot of ways it could have been improved, but it makes for good low expectation entertainment. A fun little movie.

I was lucky to be able to watch a lot of the production of River Rat. Several scenes were filmed on the Ohio River at Smithland, Ky, where I lived and also operated the local ambulance service. My Father was a Deputy Sheriff and became very friendly with Tommy Lee Jones during the filming. I also had the honor of having breakfast with Mr. Jones.Smithland was also the location of most of the "Rivers" segments of the classic movie " How The West was Won ". I still have cast photos and autographs from Jimmy Stewart, Agnes Morehead, George Peppard and Debbie Reynolds from that movie. " The River Rat " was and in my opinion is a great movie.

The 'River Rat' was a surprisingly better film than I expected. If you have seen 'Square Dance' or 'Shy People,' you learn to be weary of Deep South small-town dramas, especially those about broken relationships between parents and their children, as they usually turn out to be quite depressing if nothing else. But not 'River Rat,' what starts out as a decent drama about the reunion of a young girl (Martha Plimpton) and her father (Tommy Lee Jones), who was recently released from jail, almost immediately turns into a Deep South caper when someone from the jail tracks down the father looking for some loot. And this is where the real fun begins.The father was in jail for a crime he committed as a kid when he, another boy, and a young girl (who bears his child) decide to break into an old woman's house and steal a load of money that she was rumored to keep by her bedside. Only, things go wrong, and the other boy winds up killing the women while both boys take off, on the run from the cops. The father, as a boy, is eventually caught and incarcerated. To get his parole, he didn't have to show remorse, but he did have to tell all to the prison doctor (Brian Dennehy) who would give the recommendations (or not) to the parole board. Promised a cut of the money, the father agrees and is released. Only the doctor wants his money now, and is willing to kill the father and anyone else who stands in his way to get hold of that money. So, the father, the doctor, the daughter, and the daughter's young neighborhood friend, all hop aboard the 'River Rat,' and sail down to Memphis to retrieve the finds if all goes well.It seems unbelievable at points in the film, especially throughout the climax, when the doctor doesn't seem entirely dangerous or much like any kind of adversary, since he goes about things (sometimes) rather more civilly than one expects. So, that kind of detracts from the mood, but otherwise, it is a pretty decent movie. If you're in the mood for a good mix of drama and adventure (they're almost like two distinct halves of the same movie with the drama part being resolved first), then this is probably good for you. Or, if you want to see the cast since it has both a young pre-Goonies Martha Plimpton and Tommy Lee Jones (who never really looks young).

Jonsy is a pre-teen girl who lives by the Mississippi river with her grandmother. When her father Billy is released early from prison she tries to become close to him. However when Doc emerges from Billy's past looking for the money he stole things become more urgent.This is essentially the story of a father and daughter trying to bond after never being together. The story may take a more sinister turn as Doc takes them on a river journey to find the stolen money, but it's still a family drama for the most part. The family drama is well observed with good characters - only the boy Wexel comes across as a slight Southern stereotype. However Doc's introduction doesn't take away from this side, rather it adds a darker level involving murder, revenge and eventual redemption. But over all this it works as a nice, non-sentimental relationship drama.The film is the one that gave Martha Plimpton to the world and, while that may not be a good thing, she is good here - a child actress that isn't annoying. Also a pre-fame Tommy Lee Jones gives a strong performance as Billy who is slowly won over by fatherly concern for his daughter. Also giving a good show is Brian Dennehy (long before he started specialising in TV movies about crooked cops), here his bad guy slowly develops a tragic feel about him - just as his poison ivy wounds develop more to entrap him.The film is a clever relationship drama with a grisly edge to it. It's worth watching for it's simplicity and for it's good performances. Don't expect a masterpiece but it's a refreshing little drama.