Amazon.com Essentials:
It's difficult to watch this involving family drama and not end up mad
at
River Phoenix. He was such an incredibly talented, believable, available
actor that it makes you mad at him for leaving us so soon. He's
particularly good here as Danny, a talented musician and the eldest son of
a
couple of former war protestors (Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch). Their
bombing of a
napalm plant during the Vietnam War makes their small, nuclear family act
as
fugitives, never letting themselves settle down, never leaving traces, one
step ahead of the law. This works for the splinter group of rebels until
Danny meets a teacher who believes in his talent, and meets the teacher's
daughter, Lorna (played by Martha Plimpton). Danny's love for Lorna and
his
aspirations to attend Juilliard put the family in jeopardy of finally being
tracked down. It's saying something that in this impressive ensemble cast,
ably directed by Sidney Lumet, Phoenix sticks out. He was an actor
whose tank never would have run out. --Keith Simanton
