Wild Waters: A weirdly charming low-budget disaster

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, black-and-white poverty row cinema, sure. It’s got a dog, it’s got a villain who looks like he’s having a great time being a jerk, and it’s over before you can even get bored. If you need high production values or a script that makes sense, skip this and go watch Anne of Green Gables instead.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed on a weekend in a backyard. The dam itself? It’s basically some plywood and a dream. I’m not sure how they expected anyone to believe this thing was going to hold back a river, but that’s the magic of 1935, I guess.

Flash the Dog is the real lead

Let’s be real. Nobody is here for the human dialogue. Flash the dog is doing all the heavy lifting. There is this one shot where he just stares at the camera for five seconds too long, and I’m pretty sure he was just waiting for a treat. It’s the most authentic moment in the entire runtime.

The scene where the crooks are arguing over the cement quality is hilarious. They aren't even trying to hide the fact that they're using dirt or whatever that is. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Man of Action, just with less budget and more splashing.

• The sound mixing is a total disaster.
• The river scenes look like they were filmed in a bathtub.
• I’m still not sure where the dog sleeps.

Everything moves at a breakneck speed. There’s no time for character development because we have a dam to save, or maybe it’s just that they ran out of film stock. Either way, it keeps the pace snappy.

I found myself wondering if the guys building the dam ever stopped to think about the logistics. No, of course not. They are too busy twirling invisible mustaches. It’s not exactly Virtue in terms of storytelling, but it’s got that weird, scrappy heart that makes these old movies so hard to completely hate. 🐕