Review of Undertow (2004) by Joseph S — 07 Jul 2008
Not quite the southern gothic revival I was expecting from David Gordan Green after watching "George Washington" but not too bad anyway.
Two brothers witness thier Uncle kill their father, for a set of lost gold coins, and unable to turn to the police, are forced to escape cross country, and encounter many strange and symbolic characters along the way.
All and all I wasn't as impressed with Green's stunner of a debut, his trademark writing style is still present "can I carve my smile in your face?", but it's used less here, to the movies detriment. There's some great cinematography as well, the same sense of the beautfiul junkyards and backwoods, but the overall story feels kinda contrived. There are some fairy tale-esque moments, which elevate this above a normal thriller, but a masterpiece this is not.
I got the sense when watching this it might be better the next time, or it might be worse. Worth watching for Dave Gordon Green fans, and those interested in beautiful photography of the south, or thrillers in general, but overall it just didn't seem to connect all it threads.
This review of Undertow (2004) was written by Joseph S on 07 Jul 2008.
Undertow has generally received positive reviews.
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