Ed is a middle-aged graphic designer living a comfortable, routine life in a large Georgia city. He oversees a moderately successful design firm but harbors a deep boredom regarding his suburban existence and derivative advertising work. Highly observant and self-aware, he relies heavily on visual images to process the world, driving his desire to break away from complacency and experience something authentically wild on the river.

Lewis is a hyper-masculine, fiercely driven outdoor enthusiast experiencing a midlife crisis. He obsessively lifts weights, practices archery, and believes modern society is softening humanity. Operating under the assumption that civilization will inevitably collapse, he views the wilderness trip as an opportunity to test his primal survival skills and assert mastery over nature.

Bobby is a socially adept insurance salesperson who represents the softest, most comfort-dependent aspects of modern city life. He is the least physically fit of the four men and struggles immediately with the physical demands of paddling. He serves as a sharp contrast to the rugged, unforgiving environment they enter.

Drew is a fair-minded, thoughtful manager for a soft drink company. He acts as the moral compass of the group, deeply committed to ethics, justice, and societal rules. More introspective than Lewis, he seeks to connect with authentic rural culture through music rather than trying to conquer the environment through physical force.

Martha is Ed's wife, a capable and understanding woman who shares his routine domestic life. While Ed initially takes her for granted in his desire to escape suburbia, she represents the stability, civilization, and safety that he leaves behind.

The older backwoodsman is a rugged, impoverished rural man who encounters Ed and Bobby on the shore. He aggressively resents the intrusion of the urban outsiders, using his intimate knowledge of the wild environment and a firearm to violently assert dominance over the city men.

The younger backwoodsman is a rural local who participates in the ambush of the tourists. He embodies the primal, lawless threat of the wilderness, assisting his older companion in subjugating the unprepared city men.

Dean is the young son of Ed and Martha. He lives a sheltered, comfortable life, treating weapons like hunting knives as harmless playthings, contrasting sharply with the real danger his father is about to face.

Lonnie is a young rural boy whose eyes look off in different directions. Despite his unconventional appearance, he is a highly skilled banjo player who bridges the cultural divide between the urban tourists and local residents through a joyful musical performance.

The Griner brothers own an auto garage near the river. They are pragmatic rural businessmen who negotiate stubbornly with the tourists to drive their cars downriver, harboring a quiet resentment toward the pushy attitudes of the city men.

Mr. Bullard is the county sheriff in Aintry, representing the formal system of civilized law and justice. Pragmatic and authoritative, he is inclined to accept the official story presented by the traumatized city men to avoid a complicated investigation.

Deputy Queen is a suspicious local law enforcement officer in Aintry. Because his brother-in-law recently went missing in the woods, he harbors intense personal theories that the city men are hiding a dark truth about their time on the river.

Thad Emerson is Ed's business partner at their design agency. He is a comfortable, successful professional who expects little beyond average, competent work from their firm, sharing Ed's financially secure but creatively stagnant life.