★★☆☆☆ First-time filmmaker Jamie M. Dagg directs Rossif Sutherland in this Canadian crime-thriller as American volunteer and doctor John Lake, whose residency at a Laos hospital is cut short after disobeying his superior. He later encounters a sexual assault on a local beach and intervenes, which leads to staggering and life-altering consequences as he attempts to reach the Thai border. River begins with Lake constructing a patient leg amputation, confirming from the get-go that this is a rebellious, no-holds-barred American that we are dealing with here. Its lead actor derives from a long line of acting royalty most notably brother Kiefer and father Donald, who remains one of cinema's most commendable and cult veteran actors.
- 7/18/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This review was originally published during Fantastic Fest 2015. River is now available on VOD.
Good intentions can backfire, and a vacation can be hell. These are lessons learned in Jamie Dagg’s feature debut River, which he wrote and directed. The film feels real enough to be a true story, which it isn’t, and that makes it even stronger.
Dr John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is sent on a vacation by his superior after he tries extremely hard to resurrect a trauma patient during surgery. He travels to Laos where he speaks very little Thai, and on a very drunk evening encounters two douchebag Australians getting two local ladies rather intoxicated. After intervening, John stumbles upon one of the guys on his way walking home. An altercation occurs that sets off a series of unfortunate events hitch has John running from the law and attempting to leave the country before...
Good intentions can backfire, and a vacation can be hell. These are lessons learned in Jamie Dagg’s feature debut River, which he wrote and directed. The film feels real enough to be a true story, which it isn’t, and that makes it even stronger.
Dr John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is sent on a vacation by his superior after he tries extremely hard to resurrect a trauma patient during surgery. He travels to Laos where he speaks very little Thai, and on a very drunk evening encounters two douchebag Australians getting two local ladies rather intoxicated. After intervening, John stumbles upon one of the guys on his way walking home. An altercation occurs that sets off a series of unfortunate events hitch has John running from the law and attempting to leave the country before...
- 6/25/2016
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
As children, we are often taught that, when someone is in trouble, we should try to help, or if someone is being bullied, we should intervene. But sometimes, there can be unforeseen consequences that would endanger ourselves. Jamie M. Dagg's first feature film, River, takes this endangerment to the extreme in a taut and exciting, if somewhat narratively sparse thriller. The first North American film to be shot in Laos, it uses its location to great advantage as it follows one man's desperate run from the authorities. John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is an American doctor working at an Ngo clinic in Vientiane. With stress taking its toll, he goes on holiday to the south, where he can sit in the sun and drink to his...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/23/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Jamie M. Dagg's debut feature film, River, is an intense, thought-provoking, moral fable about an American doctor working in Laos, who after a night of drinking, intervenes in the sexual assault of a young woman. In an act of impulse, anger, and violence, John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) has his life turned upside down and is now on the run from the authorities within a country that holds no mercy.
Sometimes even our best intentions can lead us down the wrong path. River is a thrilling film about a man on the run, but it grapples with very deep issues, and definitely challenges the binaries of right and wrong. It's a stunning debut feature with a powerhouse performance from Sutherland, who last starred in Paul Gross' Hyena Road.
We had the opportunity to talk to director Jamie M. Dagg and star Rossif Sutherland about River, which has just won...
Sometimes even our best intentions can lead us down the wrong path. River is a thrilling film about a man on the run, but it grapples with very deep issues, and definitely challenges the binaries of right and wrong. It's a stunning debut feature with a powerhouse performance from Sutherland, who last starred in Paul Gross' Hyena Road.
We had the opportunity to talk to director Jamie M. Dagg and star Rossif Sutherland about River, which has just won...
- 3/10/2016
- by Adriana Floridia
- Cineplex
Canadian writer/director Jamie M. Dagg is no stranger to the Toronto International Film Festival. Both of his short films played the fest in previous years which was a great sign that the up-and-coming director was one to watch but one can never really tell if good shorts will equal good features. In the case of Dagg, that certainly seems to be the case.
I missed River when it played the Whister late last year and judging from the buzz around the movie, I'm disappointed that I didn't have a chance to see it.
River stars Rossif Sutherland (yup, of that Sutherland clan) as John Lake, a volunteer doctor working in Laos who intervenes in the sexual assault of a young woman. When the body of the perpetrator is pulled from the Mekong River, John's life quickly spirals out [Continued ...]...
I missed River when it played the Whister late last year and judging from the buzz around the movie, I'm disappointed that I didn't have a chance to see it.
River stars Rossif Sutherland (yup, of that Sutherland clan) as John Lake, a volunteer doctor working in Laos who intervenes in the sexual assault of a young woman. When the body of the perpetrator is pulled from the Mekong River, John's life quickly spirals out [Continued ...]...
- 2/9/2016
- QuietEarth.us
Good intentions can backfire, and a vacation can be hell. These are lessons learned in Jamie Dagg’s feature debut River, which he wrote and directed. The film feels real enough to be a true story, which it isn’t, and that makes it even stronger.
Dr John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is sent on a vacation by his superior after he tries extremely hard to resurrect a trauma patient during surgery. He travels to Laos where he speaks very little Thai, and on a very drunk evening encounters two douchebag Australians getting two local ladies rather intoxicated. After intervening, John stumbles upon one of the guys on his way walking home. An altercation occurs that sets off a series of unfortunate events hitch has John running from the law and attempting to leave the country before he’s pinned with a murder charge.
The film is awfully tense but somehow...
Dr John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is sent on a vacation by his superior after he tries extremely hard to resurrect a trauma patient during surgery. He travels to Laos where he speaks very little Thai, and on a very drunk evening encounters two douchebag Australians getting two local ladies rather intoxicated. After intervening, John stumbles upon one of the guys on his way walking home. An altercation occurs that sets off a series of unfortunate events hitch has John running from the law and attempting to leave the country before he’s pinned with a murder charge.
The film is awfully tense but somehow...
- 9/27/2015
- by Mike Hassler
- Destroy the Brain
As children, we are often taught that, when someone is in trouble, we should try to help, or if someone is being bullied, we should intervene. But sometimes, there can be unforeseen consequences that would endanger ourselves. Jamie M. Dagg's first feature film, River, takes this endangerment to the extreme in a taut and exciting, if somewhat narratively sparse thriller. The first North American film to be shot in Laos, it uses its location to great advantage as it follows one man's desperate run from the authorities.John Lake (Rossif Sutherland) is an American doctor working at an Ngo clinic in Vientiane. With stress taking its toll, he goes on holiday to the south, where he can sit in the sun and drink to his heart's content. At...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/16/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Clockwise from bottom left: Getty Images (2), Splashnews.com (2)
Nicole Kidman-talk about busting out!
You really brought your new pair of Dd’s out of hiding when you appeared yesterday, May 20th, in Hong Kong in a super cut low cut black cocktail dress.
It’s such a far cry from your original Aussi-born A’s, which were perfectly lovely. When you first revealed your new, far, far bigger bust last November, we at Hollywoodlife.com spoke to plastic surgeon, John Lake of the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Group who confirmed that “the amount of Nicole’s cleavage is indicative of the profile of an implant.”
Nicole, a 42 year-old mom of little Sunday Rose, 22 months, was in Hong Kong for “A Night With The Stars,” a charity gala presented by Omega, to raise funds for Unifem (the United Nations Development Fund For Women). Nicole has been an ambassadress for the...
Nicole Kidman-talk about busting out!
You really brought your new pair of Dd’s out of hiding when you appeared yesterday, May 20th, in Hong Kong in a super cut low cut black cocktail dress.
It’s such a far cry from your original Aussi-born A’s, which were perfectly lovely. When you first revealed your new, far, far bigger bust last November, we at Hollywoodlife.com spoke to plastic surgeon, John Lake of the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery Group who confirmed that “the amount of Nicole’s cleavage is indicative of the profile of an implant.”
Nicole, a 42 year-old mom of little Sunday Rose, 22 months, was in Hong Kong for “A Night With The Stars,” a charity gala presented by Omega, to raise funds for Unifem (the United Nations Development Fund For Women). Nicole has been an ambassadress for the...
- 5/21/2010
- by HL Intern
- HollywoodLife
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