Undertow

Plot

The Munns, father John and sons Chris and Tim, recede to the woods of rural Georgia. Their life together is forever changed with the arrival of Uncle Deel…

Release Year: 2004

Rating: 6.7/10 (5,249 voted)

Critic's Score: 63/100

Director:
David Gordon Green

Stars: Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney

Storyline
The Munns, father John and sons Chris and Tim, recede to the woods of rural Georgia. Their life together is forever changed with the arrival of Uncle Deel, though the tragedy that follows forces troubled Chris to become a man.

Writers: Lingard Jervey, Joe Conway

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

Details

Official Website:
United Artists [United States] |

Release Date: 17 December 2004

Filming Locations: Savannah, Georgia, USA

Opening Weekend: $24,354
(USA)
(24 October 2004)
(6 Screens)

Gross: $124,171
(USA)
(14 November 2004)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Josh Lucas had to wear brown-colored contacts in the film to disguise his piercingly blue eyes. Director Green said that it was to mask what made girls fall for him in his role in "
Sweet Home Alabama".

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:

Chris Munn:
Hey Tim.

Tim Munn:
Yeah?

Chris Munn:
Guess what.

Tim Munn:
What?

Chris Munn:
There's a cow.

Tim Munn:
I know.

Chris Munn:
I wanna milk the hell out of it

User Review

A World Unto Itself

Rating: 9/10


I recently saw this film after seeing Green's George Washington. While
that film was interesting it wasn't fantastic…Undertow is fantastic
and more. The plot is simple enough, just a story about two boys and
their father living in the backwoods of America when their world is
interrupted. The boys' uncle comes to visit, recently out of prison,
and life quickly changes for them all and the true beauty of this film
comes out. Where many movies fail is in focusing too heavily on the
main characters or the action of the story. Undertow makes no such
mistakes. In between the more intense scenes we are introduced to the
world around our heroes. We meet fully developed characters each of
whom could easily fill a movie of their own. Rather than creating a
world for us to watch, Green has instead allowed us into a living,
breathing world as observers. We don't get explanations for everything,
only what we see on the screen. Miraculously, none of these characters
slow down the film. They add humor or romance or suspense before we are
snapped back to the main story. On top of all that the film is
beautifully shot, perfectly acted/cast and the music fits the moods in
each scene. There is finally a movie that can thrill us, but still take
time to make sure we care and believe in it's world. I cannot recommend
it enough, you will not be disappointed.

I'm not sure what world Green will next allow us to enter, but I can't
wait.