Undertow (2004)

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Directed by
David Gordon Green

Written by
Lingard Jervey, Joe Conway

Cast
Jamie Bell, Kristen Stewart, Robert Longstreet, Terry Loughlin, Dermot Mulroney [more]

Undertow Reviews

In the moody gothic thriller ''Undertow,'' the gifted director David Gordon Green and his equally talented cinematographer Tim Orr wallow in the apocalyptic beauty of a decaying Southern landscape of pig farms, rotting shipyards and acres of rusted cars stacked six-deep in mud. [read review] --Stephen Holden (The New York Times) "Undertow" is kind of all over the place. It touches upon age-old themes of brotherhood, greed and good versus evil, but what Green wants to say about this remains obscure. I still think he's an exceptional filmmaker, but this won't be one of his most memorable pictures. [read review]  --Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal) Despite these flaws, Green has an undeniable skill for directing child actors, and his rendering of the American South is a thousand times more interesting and varied than anything from Hollywood that claims to depict the region. Undertow may not be a perfect film, but Green’s vision is so wholly unique in this cinematic climate that you can’t take your eyes off the events onscreen. [read review]  --Beth Gilligan (eFilmCritic.com) Undertow is intriguing, and beautiful, and skillful enough to be a passable October diversion, though I doubt it will completely satisfy anyone. Green's fans will be disappointed with the straightforward plot; those of us who love straightforward plot will be frustrated with the ways Green screws it up. [read review] --Eugene Novikov (FilmBlather) An overt device to create a measure of suspense, Green's latest project comes across like a pretentious film school exercise that some will praise for its minimalist content, but I find to be a wasted two hours on a dreary film devoid of substance. [read review]  --John Nesbit (CultureDose.net) A first-rate cast can’t save the wonderful if uneven ‘Undertow’ from indie film/under-distributed Hell. ... Currently in limited release, ‘Undertow’ deserves a wider audience which it will no doubt get once it’s on video. [read review]  --Harrison Cheung (Movie-Gurus.com) With only three features to his credit, David Gordon Green has become one of our most distinguishable and important modern storytellers, and “Undertow” is one of the top movies of the year. [read review]  --Dennis Swennumson (eFilmCritic.com) The story itself, though occasionally compelling, is mostly just a means to an end, a way to show these particular people reacting to a series of events. [read review] B+ --Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com) But the movie builds slowly to its grinding climax, and the suspense -- the standard by which a thriller must primarily be judged -- is first-rate. [read review] --Stephen Hunter (Washington Post) Undertow will have limited appeal to mainstream audiences, who frequently do not have the patience to let a movie like this unveil its pleasures. [read review]  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews) Lucas does his best to project demonic creepiness but Deel merely comes off as the biggest cliché in a chase film filled with them. [read review]  --Jack Mathews (New York Daily News) For whatever faults it may have, Undertow really sings. [read review] --Chris Knipp (CineScene)

• review by Harvey S. Karten