The River Wild (1994)

A Boston family (Meryl Streep, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello) on vacation in Idaho are whitewater rafting when they encounter two strangers (Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly) in need of help. What they don't know is that the strangers are bank robbers, who have also killed a bank guard, escaping down the river which is both treacherous and lethal. Meryl Streep, action heroine? Believe it! Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL), even though she did her own stunts, Streep doesn't overdo the heroics but rather cuts a more believable thinking action heroine rather than the kick ass variety. It's nothing particularly original but Hanson keeps the action tight and the river rafting sequences are genuinely exciting and exhausting. There's a thrilling Jerry Goldsmith score that accentuates the nervous tension. With Benjamin Bratt and a scene stealing dog called Maggie (played by Buffy). Montana stands in for Idaho.