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64% Critic Match
The River
“He might be able to hold back the river. But could he hold back the greed of man?”
6.4 / 10• 1984• 2h 2m•PG• English
Drama
Storyline
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Cast & Crew
Mel Gibson
Tom Garvey
Lead
Sissy Spacek
Mae Garvey
Scott Glenn
Joe Wade
Billy Green Bush
Harve Stanley
SB
Shane Bailey
Lewis Garvey
BJ
Becky Jo Lynch
Beth Garvey
Don Hood
Senator Neiswinder
James Tolkan
Howard Simpson
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Mark Rydell's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The River is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
