The River Rat (1984)

• Year: 1984
• Released: 28 Sep 1984
• Country: United States
• Adwords: 1 nomination
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088006/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_river_rat
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Adventure, Crime, Drama
• Runtime: 93 min
• Writer: Thomas Rickman
• Director: Thomas Rickman
• Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, Brian Dennehy
• Keywords: fire, mississippi river, boat, stolen money, crime scene,

6.3/10

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The River Rat Movie Reviews

Dirty dealings on the Big Muddy

When convicted felon Billy McCain gets paroled from the big house, his troubles are far from over. A sinister man wants to get his hands on the stash that Billy supposedly hid away before doing his stint in the gray bar hotel. Is the money there or was it destroyed before Billy ever got caught? Can Billy and his daughter escape the clutches of this evil person and live happily ever after? Will Mighty Mouse never come!!?? To find out go see this excellent film which shows the power of love, the ugliness of greed, and the joy of repentance.

the Mississippi River is our backyard

“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.

This is a beautiful movie that needs to be recognized.

“The River Rat” is too good a movie to lie in a corner without comment. Good grief, this was Martha Plimpton’s first major role. For that reason alone it has a place in motion picture history. What a terrific talent, and what great contributions she has made to the art in roles both small and large. In this movie she combines with such recognized stars as Tommy Lee Jones and Brian Dennehy, and takes a back seat to neither. Her father-daughter scenes with Mr. Jones are warm and real. The depth all three of the lead actors brought to their characters was truly remarkable. In sum, the beautiful background of the mighty Mississippi River, an interesting story, some great acting turns, and, of course, Martha Plimpton make “The River Rat” a must-see picture.