Product Details

• Actors: Jamie Bell, Kristen Stewart, Robert Longstreet, Terry Loughlin, Dermot Mulroney
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: April 26, 2005
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007R4T3K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,472 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Undertow" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

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46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Down and Dirty, Literally, Rural Gothic Thriller., April 27, 2005

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Undertow (DVD)

"Undertow" weaves together gothic horror and boys' adventure tale into a down and dirty rural thriller. Following the death of his wife, John Munn (Dermot Mulroney) took his 2 sons to "live in the sticks like hermits", shut away from the world. The oldest, Chris (Jamie Bell), is now a teenager who does much of the work on the family's small farm, in spite of trying his father's patience with a string of petty offenses. His younger brother, Tim (Devon Alan), is sickly, downright peculiar, and isn't expected to do his share. One day John's brother Deel (Josh Lucas) shows up for a visit, just out of prison. John and Deel have a bitter past, but John invites Deel to stay on until his new job starts. But Deel's intentions toward his family are less than honorable. When the situation turns violent, the boys are left to fend for themselves.

Director David Gordon Green gives the vague impression that "Undertow" is a true story by claiming at the beginning that the film was made with the cooperation of Drees County law enforcement and the "family of John W. Munn". In fact, screenwriter Joe Conway based "Undertow" on a story told to a runaway hotline which was thought to be a highly embellished version of some underlying truth. From the start, the characters and their actions don't ring as true or credible, but their emotions are real and powerful. If there is enough suspense and menace in a thriller, the question of plausibility falls by the wayside, as it does here. The film places the burden of credibility on its principle cast of 4, and they all come through. John is afraid of the world. Deel thinks it owes him something. Chris is Deel's naive but strong opposing force. Tim becomes increasingly sympathetic as the film progresses. "Undertow"'s corrupted innocence, isolation, and evil bring gothic horror to Hicksville.

The DVD (MGM 2005 release): Bonus features include a making-of documentary, 2 deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, a photo gallery, and an audio commentary. "Under the Undertow" (30 minutes) is a documentary full of on-set footage and interviews with director, cast, and crew, made by the cast and crew -most notably actor Josh Lucas- during the film's 30-day shoot. "Animated Photo Gallery" (5 minutes) is a slideshow of on-set photos. The audio commentary is by director David Gordon Green and actor Jamie Bell, who is seeing the film for the first time. This is a general commentary about directorial decisions, filming, and Green's and Bell's experiences making the film. Subtitles for the film are available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Dubbing is available in Spanish and Portuguese.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RL Stevenson & Twin Peaks & David Gordon Green = UNDERTOW, April 23, 2006

By 

Cj D. Vries "HRH" (CapeTown, RSA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Undertow (DVD)

I read an article a while back, discussing some overlooked movies of the past few years. "Undertow" was one of them, and for some reason I took a chance and ordered it. As I always try not to read too much about a movie beforehand (it's such an irritation when reviewers give away essential elements of the plot), I wasnt quite sure what to expect. I had an uneasy feeling that it might turn out to be a slow moving artsy fartsy movie about Hillbillies. After the first few seconds my trepidations were gone and I was happily lost in the strange, eerie and entertaining world created by Mr Green. He truly is a remarkable talent and because of this movie I have also ordered "George Washington", his first feature film. I was very impressed by the four leads of UNDERTOW, each portraying their characters with gusto and visible dedication. The cameos are wonderfully off beat, and well acted. The commentary track by Green and Jamie Bell provides insightful and amusing facts about the project and is well worth a listen. It's a good story with believable characters and some nailbiting moments! But, because of David Gordon Green's artistic touches, the movie is elevated to more than just a commercial flick. I do hope more people will become aware of UNDERTOW in future as it really deserves more credit and attention.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Caught In The "Undertow", June 5, 2005

By 

Alex Udvary (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Undertow (DVD)

John (Dermont Mulroney) has lost his wife and now must rise his two boys, Chris ("Billy Elliot"'s Jamie Bell) and Tim (Devon Alan) by himself. Chris though is a handful already in trouble with the law and dating a girl, Lila (Kristen Stewart, "Catch That Kid") who's father doesn't approve up to the point where he chases the boy with a gun. But what is John to do? Enter Deel (Josh Lucas) John's brother. Deel has just been released from prison and has not seen his brother for some time. In fact he doesn't even recognize his nephews.

At this point in the story I was thinking the movie was going to be about Deel's relationship with his brother and getting to know this family he never knew about. I figured the boys would come to grow on Deel and would treat him like a father. Deel would help the boys get through this difficult time.

But "Undertow" isn't interested in that story. And heaven knows we've seen it before. The movie was directed by David Gordon Green ("George Washington", "All the Real Girls") and soon Green switches gears on us in a very unexpected way. Now the movie turns into almost a fairy tale.

Some of the scenes actually had me on the edge of my seat and created more suspense than most of the thrillers being released. And this movie doesn't even seem that interested in suspense. What "Undertow" seems most interested in is the characters. Every performance here seem flawless. We accept ever character as they are. We imagine that Green perhaps knows these characters. People like this must really exist. Every line of dialogue seems like it could have actually been spoken by real people in these exact situations. The characters are fueled by emotions we can actually relate to. What a relief to see a movie like this. A movie that has something about it that rings true.

I haven't seen any of Green's other films. I know Roger Ebert is a very big fan of his, and most of my knowledge of Green comes through Ebert. Though many of the video stores around me do not carry his films. I'll have to look harder now. I'm very curious to see his work.

"Undertow" is a movie that is really worth checking out. You will be surprised at how the movie has a way of sneaking up and you and getting inside your thoughts. It's one of those movies that puts you under its spell. *** 1\2 out of *****

Bottom-line: David Gordon Green's "Undertow" sweeps you underneath its spell. The movie has knockout performances and almost every bit of it seems real.