David Gordon Green is a young director whose work is subtle and surprisingly deep. I love his films GEORGE WASHINGTON and ALL THE REAL GIRLS. His new film UNDERTOW is a far more mainstream film for the underrated director whose work reminds me of Terence Malick (THE THIN RED LINE), who actually produced this film.
Due to setting and story, UNDERTOW reminded me a lot of Charles Laughton’s brilliant cult classic NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Chris Munn (Jamie Bell, BILLY ELLIOT) is a teen who is confused about the world like most teens are. However, he is being isolated from a good portion of the world by his father John (Dermot Mulroney, ABOUT SCHMIDT), who is greatly depressed over the death of his wife. Also a part of this small family unit is 10-year-old Tim (Devon Alan, SIMON BIRCH), who is a strange child who eats paint and mud and then throws up. He’s a smart kid who reads a lot, but is not emotionally mature enough to handle the hardships of life.
Then enters John’s brother Deel (Josh Lucas, SWEET HOME ALABAMA), who has just been released (or may have escaped) from prison. There is great resentment bubbling between the brothers over their past that includes some legendary Mexican coins that their father stole from a museum. Soon enough their feud comes to a violent confrontation that leads to Chris and Tim running for their lives.
It’s their journey that seems most like NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. I always like the look of Green’s films, which captures the rundown, but mysteriously beautiful, look of depressed small town life. The people Chris and Tim meet along their way help define them and resonant Green’s subtle theme of family that runs through the film. Green understands character very well. Because this film has far more plot than his other work, it has more of a conventional and less surprising feel to it. So that’s why I’m giving it only three and a half stars.
However, I’m reluctant to do so, because Green’s work is so subtle and sly that it’s deceptively simple. I liked his GEORGE WASHINGTON upon the first viewing, but only discovered its brilliance after watching it a second time. I think the real weakness of this film is that David Gordon Green is so good that it’s a tough job to top himself. This might be a good place to start if you haven’t seen his other films. It’s still an impressive film that one will not forget.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
