Undertow (2004)

55% of critics liked it
(116 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(6,954 ratings)

Chris (Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot) is a volatile teen who lives with his father, John (Dermot Mulroney), and his little brother, Tim (Devon Alan). After the death of Chris' mother, his reclusive father moved the family to a shack in backwoods Georgia, where they raise hogs. Tim has an unusual eating… More Chris (Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot) is a volatile teen who lives with his father, John (Dermot Mulroney), and his little brother, Tim (Devon Alan). After the death of Chris' mother, his reclusive father moved the family to a shack in backwoods Georgia, where they raise hogs. Tim has an unusual eating disorder. He is constantly making himself sick by eating things like dirt and paint. One day, John's estranged brother, Deel (Josh Lucas), gets out of prison and shows up on the farm. John is less than thrilled to see him, but agrees to let him stay with the family as long as Deel helps him look after his boys. Chris is drawn to his wild-man uncle, but it soon becomes clear that Deel has more on his mind than a family reunion. Greed and years of resentment lead to violence, and Chris finds himself on the run, towing his sickly brother along, with Deel in pursuit. Undertow is writer/director David Gordon Green's third feature film, and features many of the same crew as his previous films, George Washington and All the Real Girls, including cinematographer Tim Orr. Green, who co-wrote the script with Joe Conway, has cited the influence of filmmaker Terrence Malick, who is credited as a producer. Green was also influenced by low-budget regional films of the 1970s (like Macon County Line and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and by Charles Laughton's classic The Night of the Hunter. Undertow was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr.
Directed By: David Gordon Green
Written By: David Gordon Green, Joseph Conway
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 17, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Apr 26, 2005
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Scott Foundas, Variety
A deep-fried piece of Southern Gothic that wears its unpleasantness like a merit badge...
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Green's characters often find themselves in raw, unprotected moments, but Undertow also can feel a little too mesmerized by its own junkyard visions.
Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The film's first half is hypnotically watchable.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Green is all surface and no depth in his effort to channel the late novelist William Faulkner.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
A crackling good, low-down noir thriller.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
There's certainly nothing wrong with trying to make a movie visually pleasing, but it shouldn't come until after there's a good plot and intriguing characters.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
a drag-down bore
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Undertow is a wonderful murder mystery about the price of greed, and the way money can easily tear apart relationships that were once thought solid.
Devin Faraci, CHUD
While it has lulls and sleepy moments, Undertow also full of startling truths and beauties, as well as offering a window into a side of the country that movies rarely bother to look at.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
The actors grapple manfully with the ersatz rural poetry of the dialogue, but Green's pacing is slow and self-indulgent, and the action often departs from recognizable human behavior.
Ben Walters, Time Out New York
Green's signature pastoral tangents and codeine pacing don't slow down this tale of two boys fleeing their psychotic uncle so much as inappropriately slacken any of the story's suspenseful aspects.
Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
Green's most accessible film to date, yet he keeps his directorial style very close to the way it's always been. Slow, patient, revelatory.
Stina Chyn, Film Threat
Structured like a fairytale and driven like a fast boat down a leafy river, Undertow expertly blends myth and suspense to create a fable with a wicked sense of humor and an appetite for destruction.
, Empire Magazine
A poetic, atmospheric drama that's worth seeing despite Green's struggle to blend character drama with more conventional thrills.
Leo Goldsmith, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
It will likely polarize his critics further, causing some to recoil at his welcoming of influences, and others to be thankful for more "Malick-lite."
Jamie Woolley, BBC
A front-loaded film, sure, but what a front.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Bell is superb as Chris and he completely nails the difficult Southern accent; if you hadn't seen Billy Elliot, you'd swear he was someone Green had picked off the street
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
While the first hour promises something very special indeed, the build-up is squandered once the two brothers take flight with not enough sense of danger or urgency to hold your attention.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
An oddball character drama in the tradition of the southern gothic novel that gives way to predictable action and suspense in the tradition of stalker films.
Tim Appelo, Seattle Weekly
Bad in the worst way, yet it trails clouds of glory and authentic stink from a Georgia pigsty. Pretty, a legitimate auteurist statement. And a flop.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Looked promising, but ultimately underwhelming. Also, Kristen Stewart is in this for about ten minutes, if that, so don't let that be a deciding factor in watching this! The first few minutes seemed interesting and it had it's moments, including a small appearance by… More
Looked promising, but ultimately underwhelming. Also, Kristen Stewart is in this for about ten minutes, if that, so don't let that be a deciding factor in watching this! The first few minutes seemed interesting and it had it's moments, including a small appearance by Shiri Appleby, but I just found it did not hold my attention particularly well.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Jamie Bell, Devon Alan, Dermot Mulrony, Josh Lucas, Kristen Stewart "Can I carve my name in your face?" David Gordon Green is surely becoming one of my favorite directors. I have read that they call his directing "Southern Gothic". I like it. His movie's… More
Jamie Bell, Devon Alan, Dermot Mulrony, Josh Lucas, Kristen Stewart "Can I carve my name in your face?" David Gordon Green is surely becoming one of my favorite directors. I have read that they call his directing "Southern Gothic". I like it. His movie's are not predictable. Undertow is set in the South of Georgia, and its a dramatic thriller about two brothers, Chris and Tom, who are on the run from their greedy Uncle Deel after the death of their father. It's really sad. The youngest brother is ill and likes to eat odd things like paint and mudd. On their journey they come in contact with some characters that help them on their way. Really great performances from Devon Alan. He becomes the character, it's like he isn't even trying. Loved that, exspecially for him being so young. Jamie Bell is a favorite of mine. I thought he was amazing. Josh Lucas was really good. Seen a few of his movies lately and I really like his work acting.
Leigh R

Heartbreaking yet very fulfilling in accomplishment.
Mark H

Southern Gothic tale of a family in crisis. Jamie Bell plays Chris Munn, a volatile teen who runs away from home, bringing his sickly brother along. Deel Munn, the boys' uncle, pursues them. Why, is a question best left answered by watching the movie. However, the reason… More
Southern Gothic tale of a family in crisis. Jamie Bell plays Chris Munn, a volatile teen who runs away from home, bringing his sickly brother along. Deel Munn, the boys' uncle, pursues them. Why, is a question best left answered by watching the movie. However, the reason will be the only excitement you'll find in this rather uninteresting film. The random characters the boys meet along the way are a poor excuse for a plot. Two plusses: another great score by master composer Philip Glass and some stylish cinematography by Tim Orr.
Ken S

David Gordon Green's stylistic but simple film is obviously highly influenced by Charles Laughton's "Night of the Hunter" Surprisingly Josh Lucas turns in a descent performance too...which says a lot for DGG's abilities
Tim S

I like David Gordon Green's style, but sometimes that style gets on my nerves. I like the atmosphere and the story, but the ending is a cop out.
Al S

A riveting and exciting thriller. A great story and outstanding atmosphere. Chilling and outstanding. The most original and skillful thriller in years. It grabs you and dosent let go for an instant. Jamie Bell is magnificent. Josh Lucas is fantastic.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Undertow" starts out with Chris(Jamie Bell) throwing a rock through a window; being chased over the countryside with a nail impaled in his foot and eventually being arrested. His father, John(Delmot Mulroney), is not pleased at this latest arrest,… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Undertow" starts out with Chris(Jamie Bell) throwing a rock through a window; being chased over the countryside with a nail impaled in his foot and eventually being arrested. His father, John(Delmot Mulroney), is not pleased at this latest arrest, especially considering it is also the 10th birthday of Chris' younger brother, Tim(Devon Alan).(John moved his sons to an isolated farm following his wife's death.) One day, John's brother, Deel(Josh Lucas), arrives unannounced driving a hot rod, having just been released from prison. John is glad to see his brother because it means he will have an extra hand around the farm and to watch the boys.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Undertow" gets off to an awkward start but once Deel shows up on the scene and we learn some family history, much of John's overprotective behavior makes sense. But what follows is lacking in any kind of originality to say the least. David Gordon Green's strength is not in writing plots but in characterization and setting the scene as he also proved in his previous two features, "George Washington" and "All the Real Girls." The film has good performances, though.[/font]
Alec B

Its a slow, dreamlike thriller that's brilliantly executed by David Gordon Green. The ambiguity of the ending is rather marvelous as well and Philip Glass produced a great score for the film.
Joseph E

No Words!
Sunil J

A really good exciting movie with excellent acting and directing.
Daisy M

Undertow was a good film with excellent acting and directing. An overall good film but not recommended for action or thriller fans, though. I could say, anyhow, that the film moved me a bit and kept me watching till the end; However, one thing that did disappoint me was the abrupt… More
Undertow was a good film with excellent acting and directing. An overall good film but not recommended for action or thriller fans, though. I could say, anyhow, that the film moved me a bit and kept me watching till the end; However, one thing that did disappoint me was the abrupt ending. It was a low paced movie, with a short story, great development of characters and excellent performances. There were no big surprises along the story and in spite of the introduction of the film that it is based on a true event, it was oke. Great to watch.
Sean L

Very interesting thriller. David Gordon Green's direction is effective and unique. I can't wait to see more of his work.
Leo L

An interesting movie with a great story plot. This is about a young man and his little brother. They are running from their uncle with a bag of gold coins, and they've witnessed their father's murder at the hands of their own uncle. Jamie Bell stars alongside Josh Lucas and… More
An interesting movie with a great story plot. This is about a young man and his little brother. They are running from their uncle with a bag of gold coins, and they've witnessed their father's murder at the hands of their own uncle. Jamie Bell stars alongside Josh Lucas and Dermot Mulroney. Great movie.
MJS M

David Gordon Green?s third film, this got more mixed reviews than his first two, and for good reason. The film starts out as a look at a family, but after an out of place scene of violence, the film turns into something of homage to Night of the Hunter. I didn?t believe the… More
David Gordon Green?s third film, this got more mixed reviews than his first two, and for good reason. The film starts out as a look at a family, but after an out of place scene of violence, the film turns into something of homage to Night of the Hunter. I didn?t believe the motivations of the main characters, why they don?t just go to the police is something of a mystery. Here, Green embraces the film?s southern setting more than before, this is his first film that could be called ?southern gothic.? Green was clearly trying to depart from his normal style, but did sort of a half assed job of it. The film tries to be more of a narrative experience, but Green often falls back on his old Malick-esque style, I think it would have been better if he just stuck to his old style rather than making this mishmash. The editing is different at best, amateurish at worst. Tim Orr?s cinematography is as good as usual, but to what end. This film is an oddity and something of a mess. I?ll give it credit for not being predictable, but for the most part it?s a failure.