Review of Undertow (2004) by Chris M — 20 Jun 2008
Undertow is another David Gordon Green masterpiece. If you are familiar with his other films, and you enjoyed them, this will be no exception. Undertow is more accessible then his last two films as you can really pin it into a genre.
While this film really is a thriller, don't let that worry you if you are a long time fan of Green, as this is still has his style through and through. Undertow is amazingly well cast, everyone really holds their weight and they all have many opportunities to really shine.
Jamie Bell and Dermot Mulroney do a particularly great job in this film. Like all of Greens movies, Undertow sets you down one path, story wise, but never really feels the urge to keep things trucking in that direction.
We often take meditative side journeys that really have nothing to do with the story, but add a lot of depth to our characters. I'm sure that will be a turn off to people unfamiliar with Greens work, which is understandable, but he doesn't make typical movies.
Green has a knack for making the ugly beautiful, and for always finding the humor in any story, whether it be a drama like All The Real Girls, or a thriller like Undertow. He makes complex films that are more worried about theme and character as opposed to telling a streamlined story.
This guy makes films that really are different then most mainstream films. So that statement alone should tell you whether it may be worth a rental for you, or if it will just annoy you.
This review of Undertow (2004) was written by Chris M on 20 Jun 2008.
Undertow has generally received positive reviews.
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