UNDERTOW
Year: 2004
USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distribution
UK: Feature Film Company
Cast: Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Devon Alan, Dermot Mulroney, Shiri Appleby, Pat Healy, Bill McKinney, Kristen Stewart, Robert Longstreet, Terry Loughlin, Eddie Rouse, Patrice Johnson, Charles "Jester" Poston, Mark Darby Robinson, Leigh Hill, Alfred M Jackson, William D Turner, Michael Bacall, Carla Bessey, Damian Jewan Lee
Director: David Gordon Green
Country: USA
USA & UK: 107 mins
USA Rated: R for violence
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong violence
USA Release Date: 22 October 2004 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 17 June 2005
Synopsis
UNDERTOW is a uniquely American thriller from director David Gordon Green starring Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney and newcomer Devon Alan. Dermot Mulroney plays John Munn, a hardworking father raising two sons, Chris (Jamie Bell) and Tim (Devon Alan), without their mother. John, a hog farmer and taxidermist, keeps his family in an isolated farmhouse in the woods. Chris the older boy feels restricted as his father relies on him to do much of the work since his younger brother Tim is sickly. But Chris knows there's a world outside his family that he's yearning to explore.
The unexpected arrival of John's brother Deel (Josh Lucas), just out of jail, further disrupts their fragile equilibrium. Full of charm, swagger and driving a hot car, Deel is also looking to settle an old score. Deel exudes danger, but his brother can't see it and instead John offers Deel a room and board if he helps out Chris and Tim with the chores. Chris senses Deel is trouble but he also finds his uncle's fearsome power seductive.
In a flash of violence, Deel's lust for revenge explodes and shatters the family...
The boys barely escape with their lives and a sack of gold coins which are family heirlooms their father inherited from his father. Deel is wounded but still strong, determined to find his nephews who have run off with the treasure Deel claims as his own. With the boys on the run they are free to discover new adventures but they also encounter new dangers. Chris and Tim discover a hidden pocket of kids who, like them, are alone and living together on the fringes of society. In this new world Chris meets Violet but before long the brothers' violent legacy catches up with them and Violet protects Tim while Chris lures Deel into the ultimate confrontation.
Director David Gordon Green (GEORGE WASHINGTON, ALL THE REAL GIRLS) marries action, dirt, sweat and menace as he spins a tale of the violent legacy between two generations of brothers.