A Cry in the Wild is a 1990 American coming-of-age survival drama film directed by Mark Griffiths, based on the 1987 novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The film was co-written by Paulsen, and stars Jared Rushton as Brian, Pamela Sue Martin as Brian's mom, Stephen Meadows as Brian's dad, and Ned Beatty as the pilot. It spawned three sequels: White Wolves: A Cry in the Wild II (1993); White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild (1996); and White Wolves III: Cry of the White Wolf (2000).
Plot Brian Robeson and his mother stop by a sporting goods store on their way to the airport, where she buys him a package. Later, at the airport, Brian opens the package to find a hatchet inside. During his flight on a single-engine plane with the pilot, they exchange a few words.
The pilot allows Brian to fly the plane, which he enjoys. However, the pilot suffers a major heart attack and dies, causing the plane to crash in the wilderness of the Yukon. Now, Brian must survive in the harsh environment while also dealing with his parents' divorce.
Cast Jared Rushton as Brian Robeson Pamela Sue Martin as Mrs. Robeson, Brian's Mother Stephen Meadows as Mr. Robeson, Brian's Father Ned Beatty as Jake Holcomb, The Plane's Pilot
Release The film was released on June 1, 1990. It aired for the first time on television in the United States on PBS as part of the series WonderWorks.
Reception MovieGuide found it was good family entertainment. A review in the Los Angeles Times also praised the work of the director, full of "gracefulness and a sense of commitment". Conversely, the Orlando Sentinel panned the film, finding it a poor adaptation of the novel and wrote that the story "does not fare as well on film as it does on paper."
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