Undertow (2004)

Following the death of his wife Audrey, John Munn moves with his two sons, mid-teen Chris Munn and adolescent Tim Munn, to a pig farm in rural Drees County, Georgia, where they lead a ... See full summary »

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writers:

Lingard Jervey (story), Joe Conway (screenplay)

Stars:

Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Higginbotham	...	Muriel the Cashier (as Leigh Hill)
Alfred M. Jackson	...	Dock Worker
William D. Turner	...	Dock Worker

Storyline

Following the death of his wife Audrey, John Munn moves with his two sons, mid-teen Chris Munn and adolescent Tim Munn, to a pig farm in rural Drees County, Georgia, where they lead a reclusive life. The boys' maternal grandparents no longer visit due to being out of sorts with John. Chris is rebelling against this life in ways where he is regularly picked up by the police. Because of Tim's young age and health issues, Chris is routinely asked by their father to do more than his fair share of work around the farm. Into their lives returns Deel Munn, John's brother who the two boys did not even know existed. John emotionally distanced himself from Deel following Audrey's death and Deel's incarceration, Deel who has just been released from prison. John, however, welcomes his brother in a effort to mend old wounds, and for the boys to get to know one of their few relations. They will all soon learn that Deel has ulterior motives for his visit, those motives emerging largely from those ...

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Plot Keywords:

police officer | wetting oneself | watching tv | boy | farm | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

United Artists [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 2004 (Greece)

Also Known As:

The Undertow

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,354, 24 October 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$24,947, 24 October 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Muskat Filmed Properties, Sunflower Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White (one scene) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Jamie Bell hurt his foot during filming, David Gordon Green stood in for some of the shots of Chris running through the woods.

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Goofs

When the black woman they take refuge with is in the bedroom, she finds the contact details of the boys written on the inside flap of the backpack. Later when the boys run away because they find out their uncle is coming, they just run straight from where they were outside, with no detours to pick up the backpack. However, later, Tim is shown with the backpack.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grandfather: I never dreamed that the life of my grandsons, which began with such love and comfort, would turn to see so much violence and bloodshed. This is their story as it was told to me.

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Crazy Credits

[at the start of the film] The following film was made with the assistance of the Drees County law enforcement agencies and the surviving family of John W. Munn.

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Connections

Referenced in Under the Undertow (2005)

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Soundtracks

Pistols of Gold
Written and Performed by Bill McKinney
Courtesy of Cut One Records

User Reviews

Greed, Death and Murder

In the country of Drees County, the widow hard worker John Munn (Dermot Mulroney) lives in a simple rural isolated property with his rebel and troubled son Chris (Jamie Bell) and his sick son Tin (Devon Alan) and no friends. When his brother Deel Munn (Josh Lucas) unexpectedly arrives in his house on probation, John welcomes him. However, the real intentions of Deel lead the family to a tragedy, forcing the boys to leave home.

"Undertow" is a low paced movie, with a short story, great development of characters and excellent performances. There are no big surprises along the story and in spite of the introduction of the film inducing that it is based on a true event, I have not found any reference in Internet about this murder. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Contra Corrente" ("Undertow")