Before Keanu Reeves was a megastar, he appeared in an extremely controversial crime movie that caused quite a stir back in 1987. The Canadian actor got his start playing memorable teenage roles in films like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where he excelled at embodying goofy stereotypes of ’80s youth. Reeves proved to be a versatile talent throughout the ’90s, breaking away from his comedic parts in favor of dramatic films which often became box office successes. The ’90s would end with Reeves being cemented as a bona fide action star thanks to the release of The Matrix.

After a series of notable flops nearly derailed his mainstream career throughout the 2000s, Reeves returned in a big way as the тιтle character in the John Wick film franchise. Not only were the movies mᴀssive blockbusters, but they started something of a Keanu Reeves renaissance, with the actor’s earlier work earning more appreciation than it did in the past. One of Reeve’s early films was nearly considered too shocking for the time, and it still stands as the most controversial piece of the actor’s extensive filmography.

Why Keanu Reeves’ River’s Edge Was Deemed So Controversial

The Teen Crime Movie Didn’t Pull Any Punches

Though it isn’t often fondly remembered as part of Keanu Reeve’s movie catalog, 1987’s River’s Edge was one of the earliest examples of the young actor’s talents. Unfortunately, the movie was also intentionally shocking, and even leaned into its own bad reputation in order to garner more interest. The film’s poster called it “The Most Controversial Film You Will See This Year“ and, in many ways, the advertising wasn’t exaggerated. The movie featured a heavy metal and punk score, and dealt with the issue of juvenile delinquency in a head-on manner that many weren’t ready to face.

The 1980s was a lot like the 1950s in its shift toward puritanical atтιтudes in mainstream popular culture. The post-WWII years gave rise to the concept of the teenager, and teens suddenly had disposable income and began to develop their own cultural idenтιтy. This eventually led to fearmongering about the dangers of teens, and the late 1980s mirrored the atтιтudes of 30 years earlier. However, River’s Edge pushed things even further by telling the story of a teenage boy murdering his girlfriend, only for his gaggle of drug-addicted friends to gawk at the corpse over a series of days.

Juvenile delinquency has always been a H๏τ-ʙuттon topic, but River’s Edge didn’t mask any of its social commentary behind a typical Hollywood story. Instead, the dark teen movie is callous and brash, and doesn’t give any of its teen characters a moral off-ramp. Earlier juvenile delinquency movies like Rebel Without a Cause or The Wild One offered complex and dynamic characters for the sake of social commentary, but River’s Edge opts instead for shock value. The fact that it’s loosely based on a real case that had gripped the nation a few years earlier didn’t help to soften the blow.

In his review of the film, Roger Ebert called it “an exercise in despair“, though he meant it as a compliment. The late reviewer understood the purpose of the film, but was nevertheless sucked into its dour message about the degradation of modern youth. Despite the belief at the time that everything was rosy in the new United States, Ebert noted that the movie is “an emblem of breakdown.“ River’s Edge is such a controversial film because it offers no answers to the questions it poses, and instead forces the viewer to live with the consequences of the characters’ actions.

How Keanu Reeves’ River’s Edge Movie Holds Up Today

Some Of The Shock Value Has Worn Off In The Decades Since

Much like the ’50s juvenile delinquency movies, some of the shock value of River’s Edge has worn off. Though the film is still incredibly crᴀss, its predictions of the moral collapse of the nation’s youth didn’t really come true. It would be wrong to call the film problematic though, because it doesn’t necessarily endorse the actions of its main characters. The casual nature of the film’s violence towards women is supposed to be horrific, and isn’t played off as some sort of cheap gag. River’s Edge holds up because it doesn’t take the easy way out.

Besides the philosophical value of its storytelling, River’s Edge is also a masterclass in acting by Keanu Reeves and his young co-stars. Daniel Roebuck and Crispin Glover turn in spirited performances, and veteran star Dennis Hopper is his usually memorable self. The movie’s stab at modern culture is important, but it sometimes distracts from the work that went into crafting the story. It was very much a precursor to the 1990s angst seen in popular media from that decade, and River’s Edge would be more fondly remembered if it was released only a few years later.