Buy it... if you have the urge to hear an average adventure score accented by a competent adaptation of a Jerry Goldsmith-like traditional tune into both the score and a soft Cowboy Junkies song.

Avoid it... if you're interested in hearing the most mature versions of all the ideas conveyed by Goldsmith in this score, in which case The Edge is a safer bet.

Goldsmith

The River Wild: (Jerry Goldsmith) If the disturbing classic film Deliverance is the guys' late-night, squeal-like-a-pig version of the "city folk go into nature only to discover that man is the true enemy" formula, then Curtis Hanson's The River Wild of 1994 is the somewhat family friendly midday interpretation of the same idea. Instead of Appalachia, the scene this time is Montana (known affectionately by its residents as "the last best place to hide"), where a former river guide from the area played by Meryl Streep takes her now city-dwelling family on a rafting vacation to her old haunts. Luckily for them, three malicious goons get into another raft and follow the family like a group of predators. Eventually there are hostages, unbelievable and frustrating twists of plot, and ultimately, of course, the need to run the "Gauntlet," a particularly nasty portion of river which only true professionals can navigate. Then again, if you're going to rid yourself of those pesky bad guys, led by Kevin Bacon in a comfortable role, then you'll need to provide the audience with that inevitable feat of spandex-ripping stress. Despite the film's gorgeous scenery and a heady performance by Streep, the holes and stretches in the plotline doomed the picture. Unable to save the day this time was composer Jerry Goldsmith, whose collaboration with Hanson remains better remembered for the popular L.A. Confidential several years later. As their initial work together, The River Wild received tones reminiscent of the similar but more compelling music from the composer for the outdoors in both Medicine Man and The Edge in the same era. One of Hanson's requests of Goldsmith was that he adapt the traditional tune "The Water is Wide" into the primary identity of his original score, and this theme became the wholesome, sensitive representation of the family in between the moments of tension in the middle and later portions of the picture. To popularize the film, the light rock/country group "Cowboy Junkies" was brought in to arrange and perform this traditional tune as well, a move that was starting to become typical of studio mentality in the 1990's. Ironically, the vocal performances in the case of The River Wild aren't likely to be the reason for listeners' negative reaction to the score and album.

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There is nothing structurally wrong with Goldsmith's score for The River Wild, but problems with it may arise when collectors of his music recognize that he produced far superior variations of every aspect of this score in other projects. The adaptation of "The Water is Wide" for the family is handled with a light heart by the composer's usual flute and string-based sensibilities, solo trumpet performances gracing the beginning and end of the score to fortify the independent spirit of Streep's character. The theme isn't remarkably different from an original Goldsmith idea, rolling the sentiment of Rudy and Matinee into a predictable, soft package with little in merit to discuss other than the tune's basic effectiveness in this context. Goldsmith largely abandons the melody as the score progresses towards its suspense motif, which itself is also lacking a particularly interesting structure when compared to similar ideas that would mature in The Edge. He creates tension with short bursts of rhythm from brass followed by extended whole notes, and without any unique instrumentation, the process becomes tiresome after just a few minutes. In "Little Niagra," however, Goldsmith does allow the blasts to develop characteristics similar to Michael Kamen's climax to Die Hard (and that score's "falling motif" most specifically), but once again without any particularly interesting variation in execution. Perhaps it's fitting that Goldsmith decided not to score nature itself to the same degree he would in The Edge, but then again, he didn't tackle the malevolence of the evil humans with the electronic bombast that he used so effectively in Medicine Man, either. Overall, despite undoubtedly earning his pay, Goldsmith was flat with this one, leaving possible avenues of creativity unexplored. The only other issue of note involves the Cowboy Junkies. Goldsmith wrote over an hour of music for this film and the vocals occupy two tracks on the 39-minute product. While Goldsmith collectors may consider their light guitar, electric bass, harmonica, percussion, and vocals an unnecessary distraction, it is actually their presence that distinguishes The River Wild beyond minimal levels. Michael Timmins' adaptation the tune and Margo Timmins' soft, inviting vocals in the song performances fit well with Goldsmith's variation on the same idea, and the mixing of the song edit and the orchestral ensemble in "Family Reunion" is very well arranged. Aided by two superb transitions between orchestra and song in that end titles track, the album is recommended to Goldsmith collectors with low expectations. ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

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For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.26 (in 113 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.32 (in 133,462 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.