Peace River (2022) User Reviews

Sanctimonious Propoganda

[skpn123 · 4/10 · 19 September 2022]

I was tempted to give this film a score of 1 but the location photography is lovely and it attempts to address some important issues of war and our deeply held values so I brought it up to a 4 in acknowledgment of these strengths (and the touching ending).

Maria Martinez' character is narcissistic, spoilt, sanctimonious and unbelievably poisonous. She hits the male lead which is completely unacceptable in the circumstances and treats him like a doll she can play with and torture. Why he comes back for more is far beyond me.....

But that is just the surface of my disgust...... to insinuate that ANY soldier, let alone special ops, would be so stupid as to go out and bring explosives in to kill all the men he is in charge of protecting is plain insulting to every soldier everywhere - NO ONE is that stupid or 'holier than thou' and to insinuate the families of the dead men would call that heroism is plain crazy...... I was sickened by this story.....

Save Yourselves

[aeurbi · 2/10 · 4 May 2022]

I am so confused as to how this movie has good ratings. This movie proves that Hallmark movies are not the cheesiest movies of all time. The immediate first 2 minutes of the movie seem like a trailer, so pay attention. I left about an hour in. Lacks plot. Clearly low budget. The acting is AWFUL. Even the costumes are rough. So many weird shots of the characters just looking around/riding horses. Enjoy 50 different camera angles during the rare dialogue. It's fun if you go in with low expectations and enjoy a good laugh, but it was not at all what I expected. I give it a 2 for effort, but this film could have been made by some broke college kids with a video camera. I cannot attest to the ending of the movie, as I did not stay because I felt like I was wasting my life.

Epic Character Study!

[sbschristianmedia · 10/10 · 12 August 2023]

These cowboy filmmakers milked every cow to the last drop in terms of resources. The film felt more like a true story than fiction which truly proves the importance of the universal human conditions portrayed in the film. With a great script, acting, and true to life locations, the story really resonates. About 2/3rds of the way through I literally said out loud "I can't wait to watch this again!" The cinematography was impressive, fans of Terrance Mallick (Tree Of Life, A Hidden Life, Thin Red Line) will appreciate the camerawork throughout the film that conveys the true beauty of life throughout the film. An instant classic for the audience it finds. Watched the night of its premiere on Pure Flix.

Great Movie!!!

[nancytherealestatelady · 10/10 · 5 May 2022]

This is such a good movie I have seen it twice. I invited friends and they too have high ratings.

Well worth your time and your money.

Most of what has been playing is disgusting.

Cowboy up!

[frankrobert-61450 · 9/10 · 29 July 2022]

Modern day Cowboy movie. Some great themes. Cinematography is superb. Characters are believable and scenery is spectacular. Hallmark channel would love to show this movie. Enjoy!

Love it!!! One of the best movies ever!!!

[mountainshotphotography · 10/10 · 11 February 2024]

One of the best movies I have seen in a long time! There is no trashy parts no bad language which is always a plus for me! Great story and very powerful! I'm assuming a lot of the negative reviews are because this is a Godly movie with strong positive values. A lot of people don't like that these days. The setting and filmography is outstanding. This movie will make you really think about how much soldiers sacrifice for our country. A great love story as well. I would watch it again and again! I hope this review will encourage more people to watch and spread the word about this film. Watch it! You won't regret it!

Beautiful Story

[LexiLu022 · 9/10 · 12 March 2024]

Overall, I really liked this movie. I loved the plot, I loved the character development and I loved the settings. The horses and land are just beautiful. The story line broaches some heavy topics like infidelity, death, PTSD, violence in a very real but delicate way. I love the faith aspects and loved seeing a romance without any of the vulgar or inappropriate aspects of mainstream TV. One star less than perfect because it is a little lower production quality than mainstream TV level production, for example the rodeo scenes you can tell there weren't enough extras to fill the arena so the shots are a little odd, also some of the props seemed out of place. It seems about on par with a lot of Christian movies in that way. If you can get past that it really is a beautiful story of ranching, faith, family and love.

Almost epic; strong tale of values, loss & love

[bill-81636 · 8/10 · 31 March 2024]

Peace River weaves a story about a young man growing up on a ranch with his Grandpa through his childhood, teens and then into adulthood. The Grandpa figure exudes care, wisdom, tact & love as he tries to raise his grandson who is missing a father.

The movie shone when it highlighted the 5 young soldiers, their backgrounds, courage, passion to serve in the military. Whatever one's views on the US involvement in the middle east post 9/11 one can admire the character of people willing to go into danger out of a desire to protect and defend. Especially poignant moment when a solider genuinely asks for mercy for the enemy they are getting ready to encounter.

The movie also did a great job highlighting the very real trauma of PTSD after combat. Even if one has never experienced PTSD, many if not most of us have fallen into a pit of depression or dispair or addiction or seen someone very close to us struggle.

I appreciated the themes of working through pain & infidelity and forgiveness. However, I couldn't resonate with the main female lead's prolonged bitterness and self-righteous. Yes, infidelity hurts and breaks trust on a very deep level. It just felt strange to me that over a single one-night drunken teenage indiscretion when they were not married, despite being close their entire lives, she severs ties completely and refuses to forgive for years on end? I realize people are bitter over far less, but if she was such a good lifelong friend who genuinely loved him this just didn't add up for me. It would have made more sense to me if we saw her working through messy attempts at forgiveness (and perhaps having to deal with faltering trust and not sure how much or how little t) rather than just dramatically cutting off all ties.

In the real world, EVERYONE falls short. I'm not saying infidelity should be taken lightly. But to expect that another human is going to always in every way be perfect is unrealistic and unhealthy. To punish someone for years and years for a single act, however horrible, should cause us to wonder if the "innocent" person has genuine love. Love forgives.

In this storyline, there is forgiveness... eventually. All-in-all a solid movie with a good message and some tear-jerking scenes.

It's more a kind of a soap production, meant for television...

[imseeg · 19 September 2022]

Fans of sentimental soaps beware, this might be of interest for you. Lots of American patriotic values, lots of violins, lots of wide deserts, lots of American God fearing folks, trying to make the best of their lives.

The bad: This movie is not really a movie, technically speaking, but more a kind of a soap production, that is meant for television. It's not my cup of tea because I cant stand sugarcoated sentimental scenes, but for those who dont mind, this could be of interest.

The story is about an all American guy, who leaves his love because he feels the duty to serve his country in the military, like all of his family before him has done. What will become of him? Will his love of his life still be waiting for him?