Taking a pop-culture icon and flipping it on its head is a favorite pastime of young film directors. In 1986 David Lynch took his boy-scout memories and essentially, in his own words, sent "The Hardy Boys" to hell with "Blue Velvet." Likewise, with a bit of Terrance Malick inspired poeticism, director David Gordon Green sends the good old Duke Boys to hell with "Undertow." Josh Lucas is effectively menacing in a "Night of the Hunter" kind of way as the recently released from prison brother of the stoic Dermot Mulroney, who has secluded himself and his two sons from the rest of the world on a hog farm following the death of his wife (whom was previously involved with Lucas' character). Some family folklore involving a hidden stash of gold coins sends Lucas' ex-con on a rampage that ends with the tracking of the young brothers on the run through rural American Gothic hell on earth. There's a lot to fault in a film like this, but also a lot to treasure if you give it the time. Jamie Bell and Devon Alan as the two brothers are very convincing and easy to route for, and some directorial flourishes from Green and nice character acting from Lucas keep the film fresh and original even as it channels past classics from Malick ("Badlands"), Lynch ("Blue Velvet"), and the "Night of the Hunter." There's also a score from my favorite minimalist composer Philip Glass. All in all, not a bad way for a film buff to spend their evening.
