The River Murders (2011) User Reviews

The day of judgment has finally arrived

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 10 March 2017]

***SPOILERS*** Ray Liotta is Spokane homicide detective Jack Verdon who's past as a one night stand for the most part ladies man seemed to have caught with him. That in a number of women, young & old, found brutally murdered with their bodies desecrated that he had affairs with him in the past. The fact that Verdon had countless affairs-in the hundreds-puts almost every woman single or married and divorced in danger of being the serial killers next victim.

Despite now being "happly" married to local bartender & short order cook Ana, Gisele Fraga, didn't seem to stop Jack from cheating behind her back that caused a sexually frustrated Ana, whom he was ignoring, to do some cheating on her own. With Jack as the #1 suspect and the FBI on the case in the person on Agent Vukovick, Christian Slater,Jack has to find the mysterious serial killer before he himself ends up convicted of his crimes. With the killer targeting Ana as his next victim it was only the miracle of life, her being pregnant, that saved her. Something that all his other victims who ended up for the most part getting abortions, after he knocked them up, didn't have.

****SPOILERS*** Hard to figure out just what the movie is trying to tell it's audience in that we see the religious fanatical and bible thumping killer John Lee,Michael Rodrick,in not such a bad light even though he murdered some dozen women, including Jack's mom, in his crime spree against, in his mind, sinners. In fact John actually wanted to pay for his crimes in not making any attempt of saving his life after Jack finally cornered him by the river where he dumped most of his victims. Filmed during the rainy season in Spokane Washington that made the movie even far more depressing that it already was. As for John's motives we were in for a far a big surprise at the very end when he found out, before Jack shot him, who this John Lee really was!

Well...

[b-lecurieux · 4/10 · 7 September 2011]

I'm actually disappointed. The plot seems to built up nice in the beginning but in the end seems ridiculous. Not that I doubt Ray's character to be able to remember 100 women he just had one night stand with but rather how the killer gets to know that and how he is able to pile up the bodies faster that terminator looking for Sarah Conner.

The killer is revealed pretty early in the movie and is a rather empty caricature of some religious fanatic. I believe if they had spent more time on the killer's psychology and how he gets to his victims, the film would be more credible.

The only part I enjoyed was the rather sarcastic FBI agent played by Mr Slater but that might be just 10 min of the entire movie. I definitely do not recommend this film.

This must have went straight to video

[Ed-Shullivan · 4/10 · 7 January 2014]

Ray Liotta has starred in many a fine picture(s), but I did not think this was one of his better films. His acting was certainly up to par but the movie was thin on content. Ray Liotta plays Detective Jack Verdon, a married man with a very active sex life with many, many partners before he got married several years ago.

Somehow, someone has been murdering the women Jack has previously slept with, and as any good serial killer will tell you, the killer has to have a modus operandi. So Jack is first accused of being the possible serial killer as he cannot account how anyone else would know the women he has previously taken on as one time lovers, so his badge and gun are temporarily confiscated. As more murders of Jacks former lovers are turning up, Jack is eventually cleared to go back on duty.

Supporting cast members include Ving Rhames as Jack's Captain, and Christian Slater as a pesky FBI agent. I enjoy a good serial killer movie but this film left me with little to be too intrigued about. A THRILLER it was not. Yes, it is worth a watch for a late night movie when you cannot sleep but it is not an "edge on your seat THRILLER", nor does it have a unique or surprise ending. Somewhat disappointing overall.

I rated it a 4 out of 10. Sorry Ray, but maybe your next suspense film will result in a better IMDb score.

Not worth my time

[sin8 · 9 September 2011]

I was kinda looking forward to this movie having seen some of the media pictures and after watching 15mins of it, I was ready to take a nap. Ray Liota has never really been the 'up-front' guy that you expect to see in a movie like this and he does nothing to change the outlook in this movie either. Often seen walking around with his pot-belly sticking out and frequently mouthing a bunch of 'cliched' sentences, his character is so different from the portrayed 'guy who has slept with hundred's of women and even old flames can't keep there hands off' type of guy that the weak script calls for. The story is weak to the point of being funny. Its like the script for this has been made up from scenes and lines from some of the (much) better offerings in this genre. All of the characters are way too predictable and offer nothing that hasn't already been done to death. I even found the soundtrack also very annoying and repetitive. I'm no real film buff nor a real movie critic but this movie really owes everything it makes from the promotion. Unfortunately, if you pay to see this you'll come out of the movie theater feeling ripped off.

So dumb.

[Movieshepherd · 3/10 · 25 September 2021]

I love Ray Liotta and Christian Slater, but this was dumb. Christians slaters character was a total d$&% for no reason. How is that productive? This makes no sense as someone mentioned their dna would have matched, so this makes no sense. So dumb. The acting was sub par too. Not sure what was going on because it had a lot of great actors. Everyone is so dumb, there's a killer out and I think I'll go on a date. I would be super scared and yet movie magic somehow removes all common sense. The title is a stretch, very disconnected. Adding shots of the river doesn't make it about a river. Like get over yourself, plenty of kids had a hoochie dad, it happens. Not enough of a reason to kill innocent people and steal fetuses. Which also didn't make a lot of sense, he's stealing fetuses from the last 30 years? Not sure why they cast who they cast, because they were a bit long in the tooth for this pregnancy plot line.

Smart & refreshing

[buddybhupender · 7/10 · 13 September 2011]

well i saw the plot and decided to watch simply because i don't remember watching any serial murder movies lately...

i was not expecting anything from the movie because i knew in the first place that it is a low budget project but since the plot was appealing i went ahead and to my surprise i liked this movie in many ways. first the story itself. technically no loopholes in the script. second,characters were totally convincing and it didn't occurred at any point of time that they are unknown or never been in the lime light many times which usually happens in a small budget productions that everything is fine but star cast with poor performance brings the house down. so hats off to the stars of this movie. Third, even without showing much violence the director was able to portray the right scenario of crime scenes. so one dimension of the direction where you don't need a chainsaw or a shotgun to paint the walls with blood and body parts to make it a gore fest. You can look over the present resources and develop a plan to use them in a best possible manner. that's what the director has been able to pulled off. And last but not the least the characters in this movie don't behave in the typical way which we always make fun while watching such movies when we felt that this is the most stupidest thing to do in such a situation like even the most famous movies franchise SAW forced us to think that many times. so showing some things out of league was refreshing to me simply because it makes sense. There is this scene where the female partner of Lotta meets a guy and she refuses to date him simply because his partner is in trouble and she suspects that it is not a coincident that suddenly a guy turns up who seems nice and why he is interested in dating a cop which seems out of ordinary and she suspects that he might be dangerous but it would not have happened in the SAW or any other serial killer movies. so credit goes to director who applied logic with his characters thinking making it more of a thinking character's movie than merely simple performance where character is repeating his lines without bringing feel about his character.

Overall it is a small budget DVD release so i don't want you fellows to expect anything great from this movie but I'd say this technically it is decent film who does OK and has nice performance by stars, also the pace of the story is good so if is a good way to kill time at home and most of you might feel good about it. so given the limitations of the director & producers i would say that it is a nice attempt though screenplay could have been more tight but anyway it is refreshing. upcoming directors might learn something from this movie. My rating 7/10 simply because their hard work entertained me.

It is not worth watching ...

[erik-osolin · 3/10 · 8 October 2011]

Ray Liotta and Christian Slater are names, for whom you would say they are A class actors. So they are, however they cannot save poor scenario and a poor movie. Furthermore, such a movie does not bring them some good reputation and in future I will apparently have to avoid movies in which they will be acting. An hour and a half of your life spent to watch this movie is a period, which you will never get back. It is a poor TV-like movie with unrealistic scenario. (well, at least for majority of us normal, ordinary people, family guys). Very poor developed characters. Christian Slater role is marginal, not developed, his role could have been played by any guy from the street who never acted before. Just forget it ... grab a book or go for a walk ...

Worthy effort from Liotta/Rhames

[gregsrants · 6/10 · 10 October 2011]

Homicide detective Jack Verdon's (Ray Liotta) sex life has been robust over the past 40 years. Unmarried until just recently, Jack played the field and enjoyed every minute of his promiscuous adventures. That is until his former female partners start showing up murdered thus leaving Jack as the prime suspect of an F.B.I. investigation.

This is the central plot line for The River Murders, a new direct to VOD and DVD title staring Liotta, Ving Rhames and Christian Slater that is much better than is should be for reasons that we won't be able to fully scope to any reasonable conclusion.

The movie begins sharply with the discovery of a female victim that has been found in a local river. Jack arrives at the scene and immediately identifies the girl as someone to which he had prior relations. When the body is taken back to the morgue, a ring is discovered in the dead woman's vagina. Before Jack can come to grips with his connection to the victim, he receives word that his mother has died mysteriously. And then, another murder of a former female acquaintance is found with the same M.O. as the first girl.

This prompts an F.B.I. investigation lead by Agent Vuckovitch (Slater) who is an obnoxious and not entirely believable agent who spends more time trying to provoke detective Verdon than he does on the exploration of the killer.

The River Murders soon slides into conventional thriller mode and more bodies are found while we are introduced to the killer and we get the two destined story lines of Verdon's confusion and struggles with the F.B.I. and the killer's relentless mission to continue a personal vendetta against jack that will be revealed before the final credits roll.

The River Murders is not overly graphic, it's not particularly believable and it has a killer whose motivations are something that can only come out of the Hollywood machine. Yet, we liked it. Maybe it was the always reliable acting by Rhames (who plays Jack's boss) and Liotta. Maybe it was the no nonsense direction by Rich Cowan (Shadow of Fear) that kept things moving without convoluting the plot line or stretching the brisk 92-minute runtime with unnecessary subplots or dialogue traps. Whatever the reason, we thought The River Murders worked and was far better than the average made-for-television fare that the story would suggest suited.

The heavy weight of the broad motive of the killer is the only thing that keeps The River Murders away from a better grade and acceptance. But that shouldn't deter you from giving this VOD effort a shot. It is better than most and hardly deserving of a complete ignore.

wwww.killerreviews.com

Truly pitiful

[imdb-23821 · 2/10 · 17 September 2021]

Cop shows up to a murder scene. It's a woman who he slept with 30 years ago. His boss tells him that he'll need to turn in his badge and gun because he's a murder suspect. WTF? Story continues that the cop (Liotta) seems to have slept with more women than Wilt Chamberlain. More end up dead. Christian Slater added to the cast to be the other law enforcement officer giving the cop a hard time because he's a serious suspect. Dumber than a box of hammers.

Interesting Cop Drama

[Bob_the_Hobo · 7/10 · 2 May 2012]

Ray Liotta plays Jack Verdon, a Seattle cop investigating a string of brutal murders, with all the targets being women he's slept with in the past. Immediately a suspect, Jack has to tangle with FBI Agent Vuckovitch (Slater) work outside his job to catch the killer.

The script seems fairly straight-forward but it has a very compelling religious aspect that comes in when we meet the killer. I'm not spoiling anything by saying that we meet the killer fairly early on. His character is written in a way that kept me interested as to his intentions. I had a hard time believing Liotta's character would remember all the "100's" of women he'd slept with, but whatever. Verdon and the killer are definitely the strongest characters, though, with the Vuckovitch character being a constant strain.

Liotta, Slater, and Ving Rhames are the bankable stars advertised on the cover, but all three men could have switched roles and you would have had the same movie. For instance, if Slater played Verdon, Liotta the Police Captain, and Rhames the FBI Agent, or so on. All three do an adeqaute job, though Slater served more as comic relief than anything else. Liotta's wife is played by the gorgeous Giselle Fraga, whose beauty just about saves her flat acting. Michael Rodrick shows some real potential as the killer, his cold performance stood out from the supporting cast.

Cinematography caught the drizzly Washington weather perfectly, though as someone not a Seattle native, I was confused as why it was never really brought to light which river the title alluded to.

"The River Murders" makes for a nice day off or rainy day mystery movie to watch with some popcorn. I'd recommend it.

Dark. But Overly Sexual. And A Waste Of Christian Slater....

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 5/10 · 12 November 2021]

Ray Liotta is a former sex maniac cop being stalked by a serial killer who is offing Liotta's old sex partners. That's the summary.

Basically the movie outs every tramp like Liotta and all his friends. IT's moderately annoying in that regard. Slater enters as a definitely not by the book FBI guy. With all his one liners and provocations, I felt like it was really a waste of his talents here. He should have been the killer.

So for those aspects, I would give this one a 4/10 TOPS, but, there were a couple of twists I won't reveal, especially the end when the final confrontation occurs. I liked that part. So I'll give it 5/10. 5/10= Might be worth watching, might not be, really hard to call.

Really not so bad

[holysimon · 8/10 · 16 October 2011]

This is the kind of low budget movie offering a mix of seasoned actors, who do a great job with the material and their screen time, and not so seasoned ones who fill in the blanks.

Liotta is top notch and Slater is his usual enjoyable self.

Michael Rodrick has got game and Sarah Ann Schultz creates a very hot detective.

With a handful of surprising twists and few glaring errors, it managed to tell a really interesting story by avoiding the usual pitfalls of guns and sexploitation.

This had the look and feeling of those B-movies of the eighties where you could sit in front of the picture and be just captivated by the storytelling and the performance of thespians who don't need big bucks for them to show they can act.

A good effort.

As for the whiners? Well, 2 species have sprung on IMDb in the last few years: those who like nothing and those who hate everything.

As for the rest: you'll probably enjoy the surprises as well as I did.

Well Done

[katy-247-158113 · 7/10 · 24 December 2011]

An original idea in typical crime drama style. Ray Liotta was his usual great acting self. The story certainly kept you wondering until it unfolds. It was based on something I have never seen any other movie even similar. It does keep your interest level up through out the movie. The Horror factor isn't very high making it user friendly to most people. I do like these types of movies and do consider it worth watching. I don't think I would run right out to get it but I would give it a thumbs up. So I would recommend it moderately. Great movies are really hard to find and sometimes you have to settle for these pretty good movies.

Be Gentle

[craigvalenciaga · 3/10 · 9 August 2012]

I love Ray Liotta (Goodfellas...). There is something about his eyes and his interpretation of text that plants him in the garden of good actors. Ving Rhames and Christian Slater are not slouches; they both have a body of work that they can be proud of.

The film has shortcomings but I want to compliment the actors, crew, and artists involved. It's hard to hit the ball out of the park every time but they suited up and did the best they could.

What I see is a script that had quite a few voices that had to be placated in order for the film to be made. There are too many levels of intellect and articulation. Nobody edited the script. The script teeters uncomfortably between genres; the director creates a new sub-genre of pornography at times and then the contextual shots want to make the film artsy. Crime-Porn? I guess.

The script isn't even really that insufferable. The problem is with he pacing, the camera work, the editing, and the dumbing down of EVERY element--! Nobody looks good...and if no one looks good what's the point?

Good serial murder mystery

[paulimiles · 7 September 2011]

Okay, there's been a plethora of serial murder type movies in the last 20 years. Is this just another one ? Probably. It's not exactly ground breaking but it is fast paced and keeps you guessing. It is unique in some ways because although it exposes the killer fairly early on it conceals their motive until late in the movie. I've always considered Ray Liotta a 'B Grade' actor, guilty far too often of merely reading his lines and showing fake emotion. Whilst there are times when he's guilty of these shortcomings again in this movie, his performance for most part is solid and convincing. The support cast is equally strong and the underrated Christian Slater also shines but is sadly lacking in screen time. A haunting soundtrack and tight dialogue makes for enjoyable movie if the genre is your thing. Recommended viewing 8/10

Absolute Dreck - and Rehashed Dreck at that....

[geddyleeisgod · 2/10 · 13 October 2011]

Wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and a completely implausible and unoriginal plot.

For example: "I'm going to have to ask you to turn in your badge and your gun until we clear things up. I'm sorry."

Given a second star because the photography and lighting met today's general standards, although without any particular effort on the part of the director of photography to strive for any originality or aesthetic quality.

A stinkeroo. A doggie turd painted gold.

You've been warned.

Caution: Serial Killer Ahead.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 3 March 2015]

It's a curious film about a murderer whose victims are all women than detective Ray Liotta has slept with -- in his entire life, beginning with number one. And how does the killer know who these women are, since some of these are one-night stands from twenty or more years ago? Okay. Hold on to your hate please. The killer identifies them by forcing one women to reveal another that Liotta has slept with. But how can a woman tell that a man has slept with someone besides herself? "A woman can tell, Jack," says Gisela Fraga, Jack's wife for the past eight years.

And Jack's list of women, of casual affairs, is a long one -- more than a hundred, he says. I suppose that might sound impressive until you hear about my conquests. I counted them up once. I have made love to one thousand, two hundred, and forty six partners. And a half. And that's not counting myself and inanimate objects.

I'm sorry. I can't take this film too seriously. There are more variations on the serial killer theme than there are on Liotta's list of sex partners. And if they started off in a state of simplicity -- one raving maniac slaughtering at random -- they were forced in the course of their pattern of florescence to become more complicated. The killers began leaving increasingly anfractuous clues for the police. The location of the separate murders formed a pentagon on a map. Or he was killing individuals who exemplified the seven deadly sins. Or the murders were somehow linked to the configuration of stars in the Pleides.

In this case, I won't even bother trying to explain it because I don't understand it. I don't understand why Liotta's mother was murdered. I don't understand the significance of the river, which figures prominently in the story. I don't get why the killer goes for Jack's wife. I don't know why the dead body of Jack's wife in the trunk of the car doesn't resemble Jack's wife. I don't understand the last sixty seconds or so, in which we see Jack and his wife at home, playing with their newborn baby.

But I can't trash the movie because some of it is not bad at all. Nobody ever thinks of Spokane as an ideal filming location. If you're going to shoot in the rain, why not go all the way and place it in Vancouver, BC? It's cheaper. Yet it makes decent use of the city's landmarks, like the Upper Spokane River Falls.

And the performances aren't bad, considering that the dialog sometimes sounds carelessly written. The word "need" is salient, usually appearing in the form, "I need you to --." "I'm sorry" pops up at such regular intervals that it forms a kind of ostinato.

Only one performance is poor. Portraying Liotta as a young man is Alex Donnolo, who might have been dragged from a high school play in Keokuk, Iowa. I hope he didn't quit his day job. But as Liotta's nemesis, the serial killer himself, Michael Rodrick is just fine, erstwhile priest turned revenge fanatic. He's pleasant, handsome, harmless. Also he's from Jersey City.

In terms of dramatic style Ray Liotta has not changed one iota from what he was in "Goodfellas." He always sounds a little whiny, as if pleading for understanding. It adds a nice touch to his maniac policeman in "Unlawful Entry." And Gisela Braga is outstanding as Liotta's wife. She's only just short of the threshold for Hollywood beautiful. She has endearing big ears. But her delivery is truly winning. And everyone else in the cast, with the exception of Jack Junior, is at least professionally competent. It's always a pleasure to see people at work doing things they do well.

A detective works a case that gets very personal.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 24 November 2011]

Ray Liotta plays veteran Seattle detective Jack Verdon, who by chance becomes a suspect in a murder case. Actually Verdon becomes the prime suspect when it is discovered this murder is connected to a string of unsolved murders up and down the Pacific Northwest. Verdon has been very personal with all the victims...strange as it may seem. And each found in or close to the river where he was intimate with them. Captain Langley(Ving Rhames)is eager to clear Jack, but filthy minded FBI agent Vuckovich(Christian Slater)is insistent Verdon is the serial killer. Jack's own wife Ana(Gisele Fraga)starts having her own doubts about his innocence. The killer is revealed too early and brings a strange dynamic to the story line. This is one of those movies that you wish was a good as its description. Filling out the cast: Sarah Ann Schultz, Melora Walters, Serena Caryl and Raymond J. Barry.

Rain Never Looked So Good!

[Sylviastel · 7/10 · 4 March 2017]

I thought this film was actually pretty good but predictable. I watched it this morning on GET- TV. The film is set in Washington State with Ray Liotta as a veteran detective. When there is a serial killer on the loose, the investigation makes startling connections to Liotta's character.At first, he is under suspicion for the crimes. Ray Liotta does a decent acting job here as Detective Jack Verdon. The rest of the cast includes Ving Rhames and Christian Slater among the investigation team. The scenes by the river are quite picturesque. Jack's life is examined and there are flashbacks to his teenage years. He is happily married to Ana who can't have children. The film has terrible scenes of horror with the crimes. As soon as we know it isn't Jack, we're waiting for Jack to catch the killer. The ending is abrupt but predictable. The serial killer in this film reminds me of an episode of Criminal Minds. Anyway, if you enjoy crime and mystery films, you should watch this film just for entertainment.

Oh my gosh the wife cannot act

[SinnaMGrrl · 2/10 · 1 November 2021]

Overall the acting is just brutal but she really takes it to a new level of terrible. I like the idea of the story and I love Liotta and Slater so I made it through ... but again I'm not surprised there's no picture of her on IMDb because this woman cannot act.

"Every father loves his only son."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 13 November 2018]

It's not as bad as most of the negative reviewers say, but the movie does strain credibility in a number of areas. Could a guy like Jack Verdon (Ray Liotta) score with over a hundred women over the course of his lifetime? Possible, but given his charisma, or lack of it in this film, not likely. Even worse was the attitude of FBI agent Vuckovitch (Christian Slater). You think that's how the agency trains it's personnel to conduct suspect interviews? The guy was abhorrent, while Verdon's boss Art Langley (Ving Rhames) simply stood there doling out dirty looks.

There's a creepy aspect to the entire story with the murderer's method of leaving a calling card, and gets even creepier when we zero in on his real identity. You can probably see it coming with the flashback scene of Jack and his very first moment of intimacy and it's resultant fallout. The title, which might have taken it's inspiration from 2003's "Mystic River", has very little to do with the main story except for the first couple of victims before it takes on a wider perspective.

The one character I felt bad about was Jack's partner Jenny (Sarah Ann Schultz); I never expected her to become one of the murderer's victims. In any other picture the hero might have popped up just in time to make the save, so that was a bummer. Even more so than finding out she was on Jack's long list of one night stands.

Not worth your time

[pi1e · 1/10 · 17 February 2014]

I was never much of a fan of Ray Liotta, except maybe for The Goodfellas,and he proves me right in this movie. The actress playing his wife is struggling with English and with acting (no, she's not the next SoniaBraga, I'm sorry to say). Christian Slater does his usual crazy. Nothing suspenseful, nothing thrilling and no drama (though they do try, so eagerly, in every shot) about this. This was free on-demand, so I'm happy I didn't have to pay for it. Don't let the others fool you, this movie is not worth your time. The writing is horrible, the dialogue is childish, the plot is stupid, the "twist" is easily figured out, the acting is horrible - it is murder-by-numbers with all the clichés you can throw in, mixed up and then spilled out for you viewing "pleasure". Stay away!

View on a surprisingly good film!

[greenbeansean · 10/10 · 8 September 2011]

Just saw this movie, and thought I'd write a review. Ironically, this is the first review I've written on IMDb.

The movie was great, but definitely a TV movie. There are a lot of theater movies out there, that suck much, much more, and I would definitely have spent $10-15 to see this in theaters.

The plot is gripping, and draws you in. Although there are some scenes that do feel hollow, the movie has a quick pace, and keeps you guessing. I've seen Ray Liotta in a few movies/shows before, and this is definitely his best acting out of all of them. The movie has suspense enough for you to worry about a character as well.

See this movie, it's truly one of the good films out there.

Easy watching

[Majikat76 · 7/10 · 25 August 2019]

An easy watching, non brain taxing Serial killer movie, with a unique M.O.

Not great, but a lot better then some.

[moustasch1 · 5/10 · 9 September 2011]

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of Ray Liotta's. I've seen him in a lot of films, but usually in a co-starring or secondary capacity, and usually as a psycho, but the trailer looked good (don't they always?) so I watched this one.

The River Murders is surprisingly good. Liotta does a decent job portraying an aging cop victimized by a serial killer for some unknown reason. His character is mostly believable (100 women? Really? And you remember all of their names?) as he looks into reasons why his past lovers are suddenly being killed off. Severely underused actors Christian Slater and Ving Rhames go along for the ride as an FBI agent who thinks Liotta's the one killing the women, and his boss, who suspends him pending further investigation.

Although you figure out early who the real killer is the movie keeps you guessing the reasons why until the end and, even though he's a little over the top religiously, is believable.

This isn't the greatest movie you'll ever see, and it does have it's flaws, but you won't walk away thinking you killed an hour and a half for nothing.