Given that David Gordon Green’s latest, Your Highness, is currently stinking up cineplexes, I thought it would be appropriate to remind people that he used to be a really, really good filmmaker. After a couple of beautiful, lyric mood-pieces (George Washington, All the Real Girls), he leapt into more straightforward, narrative storytelling with 2004’s Undertow. “Leapt” is the right word here, too, because this film begins with an exciting, propulsive foot chase sequence that is a light precursor to the feature length pursuit that is to follow. Undertow works as Green’s insistence that he not be considered solely an arthouse filmmaker. This is a genre piece – a thriller, to be exact – and a damn fine one. Everyone else brings their A game, too. Tim Orr’s photography is excellent as usual. Jamie Bell’s American accent is impressive. And Josh Lucas, a consistently underappreciated actor, is at his absolute best. Watch this and then try to imagine an alternate dimension where Your Highness doesn’t exist.
My favourite film by David Gordon Green. Glad to see other people have as much love for him as I do! I do not agree with David on Your Highness, I liked the film but was disappointed by it.
My favourite film by David Gordon Green. Glad to see other people have as much love for him as I do! I do not agree with David on Your Highness, I liked the film but was disappointed by it.