Medium Close Up of Ralph Macchio in The Girl in the RiverImage via Samuel Goldwyn Films
Everyone’s favorite stars from their childhood are joining forces for a new movie, written and directed by Brando Benetton. Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and set to release this September 4, The Girl in the River puts some of your favorite ’90s icons together to solve a murder mystery. Starring Ralph Macchio(The Karate Kid) and Casper star Devon Sawa, the movie is a dark change of pace for fans of the two legends. They’re joined by Loststar Maggie Grace and Emmy winner Tiffany Haddish; and today, Collider is thrilled to bring you an exclusive new sneak peek from the film.
Set in rural Mississippi, The Girl in the River puts Haddish, Macchio, Sawa, and Grace all in a race against the clock to try to save one twin sister and stop a murderer, all while struggling with their need to find answers while still following the rules put out before them. The film is described as follows: “A seasoned criminologist and a young female psychologist are lured to a remote American town to investigate the murder of a little girl and the disappearance of her twin sister as they crawl inside the killer’s mind in a race against time.”
Advertisement
The clip shows Haddish’s character standing before a room of citizens in a church. She talks about the word for losing a spouse (a widow), says there is a word for when you lose your parents (orphans), but then points out that there is no word for losing a child. As she’s talking, Macchio and Sawa are discussing the case and deciding who thought it was a good idea to hold this meeting of sort. It is clear from this scene that tensions are high as people try to figure out what happened to these girls.
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · Taylor Sheridan Universe Quiz Which Taylor Sheridan Show Do You Belong In? Yellowstone · Landman · Tulsa King · Mayor of Kingstown
Four worlds. All of them brutal, complicated, and built on power, loyalty, and the price of survival. Taylor Sheridan doesn’t write heroes — he writes people who do what they have to do and live with the cost. Ten questions will reveal which one of his worlds you were made for.
🤠Yellowstone
🛢️Landman
Advertisement
👑Tulsa King
⚖️Mayor of Kingstown
Advertisement
01
Where does your power come from? In Sheridan’s world, everyone has leverage. The question is what kind.
Advertisement
02
Who do you put first, no matter what? Loyalty in Sheridan’s universe is always absolute — and always costly.
Advertisement
03
Someone crosses a line. How do you respond? Every Sheridan protagonist has a line. What matters is what happens after it’s crossed.
Advertisement
04
Where do you feel most in your element? Sheridan’s worlds are as much about place as they are about people.
Advertisement
05
How do you feel about operating in the grey? Nobody in a Sheridan show has clean hands. The question is how they carry the dirt.
Advertisement
06
What are you actually fighting to hold onto? Every Sheridan character is fighting a war. The real question is what they’re defending.
Advertisement
07
How do you lead? Authority in Sheridan’s world is never given — it’s established, maintained, and constantly tested.
Advertisement
08
Someone new arrives and tries to change how things work. Your reaction? Every Sheridan show has an outsider disrupting an established order. Sometimes that outsider is you.
Advertisement
09
What has your position cost you? Nobody gets to where these characters are without paying for it. The bill is always personal.
Advertisement
10
When it’s over, what do you want people to say? Sheridan’s characters all know the ending is coming. The question is what they leave behind.
Advertisement
Sheridan Has Spoken You Belong In…
The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
Advertisement
🤠 Yellowstone
🛢️ Landman
👑 Tulsa King
Advertisement
⚖️ Mayor of Kingstown
You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
Advertisement
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
Advertisement
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
Advertisement
Ralph Macchio in a Mystery Story Is Peak Nostalgia
Macchio is obviously known for his work in The Karate Kid franchise, including the Netflix series Cobra Kai. But outside of being Daniel LaRusso, Macchio is also beloved for his role in two classics: My Cousin Vinny and The Outsiders. Both movies had a mystery feel to them and have left a lasting impact on audiences. It makes The Girl In the River feel a little bit like a return to form for Macchio after spending so much time as Daniel. Seeing Daniel LaRusso and Casper the Friendly Ghost work together, though, is going to be a fun time for audiences.
You can see The Girl in the River in theaters on September 4.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login