Wash Me in the River: an Upcoming Thriller with Robert De Niro

Paved his way to stardom by playing Vito Corleone in ‘The Godfather, Part II’ (1974), Robert De Niro has collected all imaginable accolades as an actor and filmmaker. Golden Globe Award, two Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Cecil B. DeMille Award, and who knows how many smaller accomplishments have made him a living legend and a guarantee of mind-bending success of anything he touches.

Luckily – and to the awe of millions of fans – the 77-year-old New Yorker isn’t going to retire anytime soon as he will soon appear on the screens as a cop in the ‘Wash Me in the River’ action thriller by Randall Emmett. The picture is to be released in 2022, and there’s almost no doubt it will captivate the global audience just as it has thrilled the filmmaking market.

As Arianne Fraser, Highland Film Group CEO, put it, ”The market response to the film has been remarkable! Randall has succeeded in directing a very commercial film with a strong artistic vision that our buyers have fully embraced. Our trusted international partners had their eyes on the film for some time now, so being able to wrap principal photography with such a stellar cast amid the pandemic is something we are very proud of.”

And who would doubt success is in the cards for ‘Wash Me in the River?’ The multiple distribution deals secured by Highland Film Group are delivering the movie to North America – the release is scheduled for spring 2022 – as well as there have already been pre-sales in Germany, UK, France, Eastern Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Greece, Portugal, and Taiwan, to name just a few of many countries.

The Plot and the Starry Cast

If you search for the snapshots on the web, you’ll find quite a few, including the one picturing Robert De Niro and Jack Huston in action. De Niro plays a cop pursuing an ex-opioid addict craving vengeance for the death of his fiancé.  Apart from the two, the film is starring John Malkovich, Quavo, Willa Fitzgerald, Machine Gun Kelly, and Taylor Kitsch who replaced Kelly due to the scheduling conflicts of the latter.

But that’s undoubtedly the personality of De Niro that makes the movie so special and long-awaited. As Quavo confessed to Billboard, ”It’s just an honor to be on the screen with Robert De Niro. I’m just blessed and I can’t wait for y’all to see it. I couldn’t wait to tell my Mom dukes that I’m gonna be on the screen and kicked it with him. He’s a nice dude.”

No less excited was the director himself. Emmett said, “I couldn’t be more excited to work with Bob again after many collaborations, including The Irishman as a producer. I’m so grateful that he is supporting me as a filmmaker now. Colson was always my first choice to play the lead in the movie and John has been an icon of mine since childhood. Having them both attached with Bob is a dream come true.”

There’s no better way to wait for the thriller than to re-watch some of the staples. Whether you’re a movies aficionado – or even if thrillers are not your cup of tea – you will have the pastime of your life watching any of these:

Casino Royale (2006)

Unraveling at a high-stakes poker table in Casino Royale in Montenegro, the plot will wrap you up in the gambling atmosphere of the past with its unconceivable jackpots, razor-sharp gambling minds, and an unacceptable level of risk. You might even want to switch from the state-of-the-art games at Casino Lucky Bird – or whichever one you play at, if any – to some old-school one-armed bandits and classic poker games.

Raging Bull (1980)

Loved by millions, Raging Bull is arguably the best De Niro performance of all time. Portraying the former middleweight boxer struggling with self-destruction, sexual jealousy, and obsessive rage – which all together destroyed Jake LaMotta’s family – the movie makes you sympathize, hate, detest, you choose it, but you never stay indifferent.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Yet another brilliant entry from a duo of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, Taxi Drives portrays a rags-to-riches story of Travis Bickle, who elevates from a working-class to a hero class. Absolute must-watch for everyone except those averse to violence in movies.