Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Undertow Blu-ray Movie Review

An exceptional film with suspense, wonder, and excitement against a Southern backdrop

Undertow is a southern drama with suspenseful undertones that makes it a compelling experience from start to finish. Executive produced by Alessandro Camon (Thank You for Smoking, Mutant Chronicles), Saar Klein (editor of Almost Famous), and John Schmidt (Party Monster, The Cooler), this is a highly underrated gem from David Gordon Green (George Washington, All the Real Girls) which demands to be seen. With a bold lead performance from a young Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, The Adventures of Tintin) the film is elevated to even greater heights.

The story follows the tumultuous exploits of Chris Munn (Jamie Bell), a teenager with a rebellious mind who is simultaneously doing far more than his fair share to help out his father, John (Dermot Mulroney) following the unfortunate passing of his mother. Helping to look out for his younger kid brother, Tim (Devon Alan), the two siblings are ultimately inseparable from each other. Chris also (somehow) manages to find time to flirt with his would-be girlfriend Lila (Kristen Stewart).

The Munn family lives on a pig farm and each member is surrounded by mud and dirt day-in and day-out against the Southern outdoors. The (mostly) quiet lives of the family is abruptly interrupted when a unexpected visit from John's brother, Deel Munn (Josh Lucas) is paid. Deel has recently been released from prison and arrives at the Munn family doorstep with his own sinister motives. This chaotic event soon changes the course of their entire lives. As events escalate in unexpected directions, the story is only just beginning.

"This doesn't constitute as blocking the driveway... does it?"

The atmosphere of the production is one of the elements which makes it so compelling to experience. The film consistently showcases the Southern landscape through a lens that makes the filmmaking significantly more enveloping. The production design efforts by Richard A. Wright (Mud, George Washington) bring audiences closer to the storytelling. There is something truly remarkable about Undertow and its ability to weave such a dramatic story out of something so sparse.

Accompanied by a score composed by Philip Glass (Kundun, Notes on a Scandal) and featuring unique instrumentation, Undertow stands out as one of Glass' best works as a composer. This is an example of truly outstanding music that completely brings one into the world of the film. The score doesn't fit an ordinary mold and somehow elevates the dramatic sequences with the proper dosage of tension.

From an original story by Lingard Jervey (The Beautiful Country), the screenplay by David Gordon Green and co-screenwriter Joe Conway (After the Fall) crafts compelling characters who are each distinctively realized. Chris Munn is so wonderfully brought to life by Jamie Bell. Here's a young character who is damaged and hurting but who overcomes great obstacles to protect his younger brother. There is something extraordinary about how the script showcases the unity of family.

David Gordon Green is one of the most surprising directors in the industry (as he continually veers from independent-spirit gems like this one to Hollywood fare like Pineapple Express and the 2018 Halloween sequel). Green knows how to make a film suspenseful (as he proved tenfold with his creative Halloween film) and Undertow benefits from his ace understanding of filmmaking. The dramatic sequences showcasing Chris and Tim running across the muddy outdoors in flight is pure cinema. Fans of great independent filmmaking should look no further than this gem: Undertow is a spectacular work of art that fully delivers on its promises.

Undertow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release is presented with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray release offers viewers a modest high-definition transfer which improves upon the picture-quality with more accurate color reproduction and fine detail in the image.

Unfortunately, the disc uses an obviously dated master as the source and it's easily apparent it could have looked more robust with a full restoration (or a 4K scan). Alas, the release only offers a moderate improvement to the picture on the whole. It could have been better with a newer scan or restoration but what's available is still a decent presentation of the feature-film that is worth one's time (and it retains a nice layer of film grain on the image as well).

Undertow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The lossless audio is quite good for the most part and should leave most fans of the film satisfied. Dialogue reproduction on the track is downright exceptional. The music score by composer Philip Glass is beautifully rendered and adds much to the viewing experience. During the film's engaging and epic conclusion, the crisp audio fidelity adds to the enjoyment of the film with total ease.

As a downside to the Blu-ray release, the 5.1 surround sound track is now completely missing from the release. It would have been appropriate for Olive Films to at least include the original 5.1 surround mix as a secondary audio option to select (in addition to the primary lossless 2.0 audio track). While that is certainly not a complete deal-breaker (and reportedly the surround-sound audio was only fully utilized in a few sequences), the lack of a 5.1 option when a surround sound track was previously produced is noteworthy.

Undertow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on the release other than the theatrical trailer (HD, 1:48). This is a downright shame given that the DVD included several bonus features (including an audio commentary track and making-of featurette) which are nowhere to be seen on the Blu-ray release.

Viewers hoping to have a completely satisfying supplemental experience might want to hold on to the DVD release and create a custom combo-pack to get the supplemental features produced for the film. This is certainly an example of an area for improvement for label Olive Films and many of their releases. I would encourage those who own the DVD to hang on to it and add the Blu-ray to the collection in addition.

Undertow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the best films by David Gordon Green (2018's Halloween), Undertow is an example of how filmmakers can sometimes craft the most compelling stories with smaller-scale productions. Sparse from beginning to end, there's simply something kinetic about the filmmaking which is undeniably compelling. With a knockout performance by Jamie Bell, Undertow is a surefire success that should make its way to viewers must-see list. Highly recommended.