Underneath (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

Don Tracy (novel)
Steven Soderbergh (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 April 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

For passion, betrayal and murder... there's still no place like home.

Plot:

Michael Chambers returns home to celebrate his mother's marriage. Michael had been ousted from his home...

Plot Keywords:

Armored Car | Hitman | Professional Hit | Pool Table | Pool Hall

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peter Gallagher	...	Michael Chambers
Alison Elliott	...	Rachel
William Fichtner	...	Tommy Dundee
Adam Trese	...	David Chambers
Joe Don Baker	...	Clay Hinkle
Paul Dooley	...	Ed Dutton
Shelley Duvall	...	Nurse
Elisabeth Shue	...	Susan Crenshaw
Anjanette Comer	...	Mrs. Chambers
Dennis Hill	...	Guard Tom
Harry Goaz	...	Guard Casey
Mark Feltch	...	Guard George
Jules Sharp	...	Hinkle's Assistant
Kenneth D. Harris	...	Mantrap Guard
Vincent Gaskins	...	Michael's Partner
Cliff Haby	...	Turret Operator
Tonie Perensky	...	Ember Waitress
Randall Brady	...	Ember Bartender
Richard Linklater	...	Ember Doorman
Helen Cates	...	Susan's Friend
Kevin Crutchfield	...	VIP Room Flunky
Brad Leland	...	Man Delivering Money
John Martin	...	Justice of the Peace
C.K. McFarland	...	BonaFide Delivery Person
Rick Perkins	...	TV Delivery Man
Paul Wright	...	TV Delivery Man
David Jensen	...	Satellite Dish Installer
Jordy Hultberg	...	TV Sports Reporter
Steve Shearer	...	Detective
Fred Ellis	...	Detective's Partner
Joe Chrest	...	Mr. Rodman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mike Enright	...	Embers V.I.P. (uncredited)
Mark Hanson	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Matthew Hurley	...	Angry Bar Patron (uncredited)
Mike Malone	...	Smoking Guy at Concert (uncredited)
Christopher K. Philippo	...	Ember Clubgoer (uncredited)
Ryan Wickerham	...	Guy at Concert (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Soderbergh

Writing credits
Don Tracy		(novel "Criss Cross")
Steven Soderbergh		(screenplay) (as Sam Lowry) and
Daniel Fuchs		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joshua Donen	....	executive producer
John Hardy	....	producer
William Reid	....	executive producer
Lionel Wigram	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Cliff Martinez

Cinematography by
Elliot Davis

Film Editing by
Stan Salfas

Casting by
Ronnie Yeskel

Production Design by
Howard Cummings

Art Direction by
John Frick

Set Decoration by
Jeanette Scott

Costume Design by
Karyn Wagner

Makeup Department
Janine Rath	....	hair stylist (as Janine Rae Rath)
Lizbeth Williamson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Georgia Kacandes	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gregory Jacobs	....	first assistant director
Allen Kupetsky	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Lori Ann Armendariz	....	art department intern
Matt Boylan	....	prop intern
Adam Braid	....	construction production assistant
Bart Brown	....	swing gang
Rodney Brown	....	carpenter
John V. Burson	....	construction coordinator (as John Burson)
Craig Byrom	....	carpenter (as Craig D. Byrom)
Everett Byrom III	....	carpenter (as Everett E. Byrom III)
Tom Christopher	....	swing gang
James Crowley	....	art department production assistant
David Hack	....	lead person
Randy Huke	....	set dressing shopper
Robert Janecka	....	property master
David Kirchner	....	art department intern
Timothy W. Lobdell	....	carpenter (as Lucky Lobdell)
Mike Malone	....	on-set dresser (as Mike 'Shelf' Malone)
Caitlin Maloney	....	art department coordinator
Jay F. McCuin	....	assistant property master
Joanne Pall	....	art department intern
Shane Patrick	....	swing gang
Ron Perkins	....	lead carpenter
Adele Plauche	....	assistant art director (as Adele Plauché)
Phillip Schneider	....	charge scenic (as Phil Schneider)
Frank Samuel	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Larry Blake	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Blake	....	supervising sound editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist (as Marko Costanzo)
Chris Fielder	....	assistant sound editor
Eugene Gearty	....	sound effects editor
Robert Hein	....	dialogue editor
David Jensen	....	sound assistant
Frank Kern	....	foley editor
Paul Ledford	....	production sound mixer
Jeff Levison	....	stereo sound consultant: DTS
Marissa Littlefield	....	dialogue editor
Robert Maxfield	....	boom operator (as Robert K. Maxfield)
Eliza Paley	....	foley editor
Glenfield Payne	....	assistant sound editor
Bruce Pross	....	foley supervisor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Jack 'Deuce' Bennett II	....	assistant special effects coordinator (as Jack Bennett II)
Jack Bennett	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Bobby Sargent	....	stunt coordinator
Jeff Schwan	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
David Adams	....	best boy grip
Arthur Scipio Africano	....	second assistant camera
David Berryman	....	camera intern
Robin Brown	....	additional camera operator
Scott Conn	....	electrician
Curtis Herbert	....	grip
William K. Koski	....	electrician (as William Koski)
Robert Lewallen	....	dolly grip (as Bobby Lewallen)
Chris Lombardi	....	first assistant camera
James 'Buz' Maloy	....	grip
Raul Mello	....	electrician (as Raul 'Bull' Mello)
Alan Pappe	....	still photographer (as Alan Pappé)
Christopher Porter	....	additional camera operator
Christopher Porter	....	chief lighting technician
Jordan Rains	....	grip intern
Kerry Rike	....	key grip (as Kerry A. Rike)
Charles Seligman	....	grip
Todd Smiley	....	electrician
Peter J. Verrando	....	24 frame video operator (as Peter Verrando)
Elan Yaari	....	best boy electric
Ian Ellis	....	additional first assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jo Edna Boldin	....	location casting
Julie Granieri	....	casting associate
Dara Gray	....	extras casting: Third Coast Extras Casting
Gary Oberst	....	casting associate
Martha Waters	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kristen Anacker	....	costume supervisor
Isabelle Coulet	....	on-set costumer
Jennifer Elias	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Amy Auchincloss	....	additional assistant editor
Robert J. Castaldo	....	assistant editor: Dallas
Mary Hickey	....	additional assistant editor
Susan Littenberg	....	first assistant editor
Caitlin Maloney	....	post-production coordinator
Tom Salvatore	....	color timer
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher

Music Department
Leanne Ungar	....	live music recording engineer

Transportation Department
David B. Bell	....	driver
Henry Castillo	....	driver
Billy L. Chambers	....	driver (as Billy Chambers)
Billy Cude	....	driver (as Billy J. Cude)
Jim Dicuffa	....	transportation captain (as Big Jim DiCuffa)
Bobby Elliott	....	driver
Joe Gallien	....	driver (as Little Joe Gallien)
Michael A. Hammett	....	driver
Esteban Rodríguez	....	driver (as Esteban Rodriguez)
Phil Schriber	....	transportation coordinator
Butch Themer	....	driver

Other crew
Colleen Arnaud	....	first assistant auditor
Alexis Arnold	....	assistant production coordinator
Sara Ballon	....	office intern
Caroline Brock	....	location assistant
Amy Cadenhead	....	office production assistant (as Amy Cadenhead Calcote)
Howard Carey	....	set intern
John 'JR' Craigmile	....	first assistant auditor (as John 'J.R.' Craigmile)
Jamie Curran	....	stand-in
Karen Dinitz	....	set production assistant
Jane Goldsmith	....	script supervisor
Brunson Green	....	office production assistant
Scott Grimsley	....	second assistant auditor
Phil Hardage	....	key set production assistant
Robin Hardy	....	additional office intern
Mike Hitch	....	security officer
Heather McGrath Jacobs	....	production coordinator
Arthur Kellogg	....	stand-in
Jeffrey McCarter	....	unit production assistant
John McDougall	....	title designer: main titles
Gary Miller	....	caterer: Location Catering Service
Whitney J. Miller	....	production auditor
Steve Ness	....	set intern
Roby Petit	....	stand-in
Nick Sanders	....	craft service
Nick Sanders	....	emergency medical technician
Daniel J. Shaw	....	set production assistant (as Dan Shaw)
Hope Shaw	....	post-production accountant
Tim Swan	....	location manager (as Tim Leary Swan)
Todd Turner	....	key set production assistant
Joseph Wilkins	....	title designer: main titles
Jessica Wilson	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Thanks
Joe Benedict	....	thanks: Federal Armored Express
Greg Bowser	....	thanks
Brad Calcote	....	thanks
Hilary Clark	....	thanks: City of Austin Department of Aviation
Tom Copeland	....	thanks: Texas Film Commission
Sonny Cranch	....	thanks
Jim Dunbar	....	thanks: Federal Armored Express
Skip Lievsay	....	thanks
Scott Madole	....	thanks: City of Austin Department of Aviation
Larry Matson	....	thanks
Peter Rieck	....	thanks: City of Austin Department of Aviation
Marlene Saritzky	....	thanks: Texas Film Commission
Roy Waldspurger	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Populist Pictures

Distributors

• Gramercy Pictures (I) (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1995) (Spain) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2007) (Italy) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Underneath (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | France:Unrated | Finland:K-16 | Denmark:16 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Populist Pictures

Trivia:

Not allowed to co-sign the screenplay with his name for legal reasons, Steven Soderberg used the name "Sam Lowry", the anarchist character played by Jonathan Pryce in Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Susan Crenshaw: Are you getting off at Austin?

Movie Connections:

Version of Criss Cross (1949)

Underrated Soderbergh

A complex character study with a twisty-turny plot and more double-crosses than one can comfortably shake a stick at, "The Underneath" is definitely one of Steven Soderbergh's more complex films. He pulls out all the stops, using split lenses (particularly during one bravura dinner sequence), different color film stocks, imaginative framing devices -- you name it. Sure, one might complain that the result is cold and calculating, but I'm not that one.

Fans of Soderbergh's "Schizopolis" will recognize Mike Malone (T. Azimuth Schwitters) as the guy who attempts to hit on Allison Elliott in the club and is rebuffed, and David Jensen (Elmo Oxygen) as the satellite dish installer. ("Just don't stand in front of it.") And Joe Chrest -- so memorable as Ben the bellhop in "King of the Hill" -- is great as the mysterious Mr. Rodman.