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 | Grace | Knife | Model Airplane | Defenestration

Awards:

3 wins & 4 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 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:

The "green paint" tasted by young Tim, Devon Alan, is actually yogurt; the 'mud' he eats is brownie mix.

Goofs:

Continuity: Chris and Tim start down the staircase to escape the house, Tim has a backpack slung over his left shoulder. The backpack is gone when they reach the bottom of the steps. Later, when they run up to their room, Chris packs some items in the backpack that is lying on the bed.

Quotes:

Tim Munn: Knock-knock.
Chris Munn: Who's there?
Tim Munn: Interrupting Cow.
Chris Munn: Interrup -...
Tim Munn: Mooooo!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Under the Undertow (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Pistols of Gold

Strange

I watched Undertow at the Stockholm International Film Festival in November 2004. I had previously heard nothing about the film and it was more or less a coincidence that made med watch it. It was a pleasant experience though.

Undertow is about two brothers living with their father in rural America. They live inside the woods since their father wants to keep away from other people. The oldest son, Chris, is a troubled kid almost always in trouble with the law. The youngest son has health problems. One day the fathers brother comes to visit, recently out of prison. He stays for a while before starting a new job. Soon though, there is trouble. Things happen and before long the two brothers are running from their uncle.

The story here is perhaps nothing you haven't seen before at one time or another. But it's well executed and the strange, almost surreal, mood of the film is well maintained throughout. What stands out though in my opinion is the acting. All the main characters are acted very well. Especially Jamie Bell is excellent as the oldest brother. Also Josh Lucas does a terrific job playing the boys' unpleasant uncle.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece but it's well worth the watch. If for nothing else, then at least for the acting. It was one of the better films i saw at this years film festival, and i feel it's worth recommending. I rate it 6/10.