Undertow (2004)

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writers (WGA):

Lingard Jervey (story)
Joe Conway (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 December 2004 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The Munns, father John and sons Chris and Tim, recede to the woods of rural Georgia. Their life together...

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Hammock | Dysfunctional Family | Rural Life | Balloon

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jamie Bell	...	Chris Munn
Kristen Stewart	...	Lila
Robert Longstreet	...	Bern
Terry Loughlin	...	Officer Clayton
Dermot Mulroney	...	John Munn
Devon Alan	...	Tim Munn
Josh Lucas	...	Deel Munn
Eddie Rouse	...	Wadsworth Pela
Patrice Johnson	...	Amica Pela
Charles 'Jester' Poston	...	Hard Hat Dandy
Mark Darby Robinson	...	Conway
Pat Healy	...	Grant the Mechanic
Leigh Hill	...	Muriel the Cashier
Alfred M. Jackson	...	Dock Worker
William D. Turner	...	Dock Worker

Also Known As:

The Undertow (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (one scene) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:MA | Argentina:16 | Brazil:16 | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40628) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

There were many injuries acquired on the set. Both 'Josh Lucas' and Dermot Mulroney broke ribs during fight scenes between each other, and Jamie Bell stepped on a nail and had to walk on crutches for days.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Chris and Deel go for a drive, the lock button on Deel's door alternates between up and down.

Quotes:

Lila: Let me see your knife. Can I carve my name in your face?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Under the Undertow (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Requiem

Intense, brooding, grimy – this is the best film I've seen in a long time

Director David Gordon Green's critically acclaimed Undertow is a strange but gripping experience. I don't know any other film quite like this. We've seen the slow pacing build up tension in the plot before in films, but it's so much more than that in Undertow – it's the pace of a family's life in the deep backwoods of Georgia and it it patiently lets us absorb everything. Maybe I was in a sensitive and impressionable frame of mind when I saw it, because I remember being so shaken and touched by this fare that its visuals and mood still haunt me.

But this patient, slow pace is the calm before the storm as it comes to an end when the brother of the father of the family comes to visit, newly released from prison. Josh Lucas is this brother, and he captures the shady nature of his character with effortless conviction. His presence is felt in scenes he is not even in. Upon arriving to the family, the film just takes a completely different turn and we follow the two brave kids in the family on the run in the south from their uncle.

This is further emphasized by attention-grabbing frames that freeze whenever intensity builds up. This may seem anti-climactic, but it's extremely effective and it makes the chase sequences very exciting and 1970s-influenced. So it essentially shifts between chase mode and (eerily) quiet South-paced calm in a genius way. If you like your films fast-paced and action-filled however, its brilliance may be lost on you – but if you give it time, Undertow will surprise you as it's unpredictable, even in style. This is just how meticulously-crafted it is.

The film is grimy, dense, brooding and realistic and it zooms in on the deep necks of Georgia, featuring some gorgeously striking visuals, making you feel the dirt and heat of the deep south as if you were right there, breathing the murky warm air from the brown rivers. Some say Green's directing style is reminiscent of Terrence Malick (it is very visually-driven) but I don't think so – rather it is an insult to the former; Green clearly knows what he's doing and lets nature visuals facilitate the story he tells, while Malick lets the story facilitate his pointless nature visuals.

I loved Undertow more every minute it progressed and am now prepared to give this film a 9 out 10. I also have it firmly stapled in my top 10 films of all time list and that is quite a feat for such a low-key dark horse.

9/10