Mud (2012) (English Language)

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Review

130min

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon

In rural Arkansas on the banks of the mighty Mississippi river, a couple of teenage country boys stumble upon “Mud”, a mysterious stranger on the run from dangerous men and the law, as an unlikely bond develops and romance & relationships converge the boys risk everything to help Mud and his true love escape in this award-wining “Indie” drama.

In one of the pillars of his so-called “McConaissance” career revival, Matthew McConaughey delivers a nuanced performance as an enigmatic Southern rogue who seems both genuine and heartfelt while simultaneously a manipulative teller-of-tales.

The ensemble cast is an impressive group of mainstream actors who regularly contribute to Independent cinema but the two teenage leads deliver the standout performances in ‘Mud’, raw and honest behavior that only young actors from the American south could bring to the screen showing the gritty reality of scratching a living along the mighty Mississippi, in one of the poorest parts of the richest country in the world.

At first glance this a gritty and somewhat grim crime drama rooted in the harsh realities of rural living in the southern USA, indeed the river itself is a principal character in the film and a force that gives life and takes it away, but ‘Mud’ is surprisingly multi-dimensional ranging from a family relationship drama to a romance that exposes the raw intensity of young romantic love, not to mention the naive and irrational nature of falling in love whatever age you are.

The Bottom Line…

With a touch of the “Huckleberry Finn” sense of adventure to add to the drama and earthy Southern charm, ‘Mud’ is a visually stylish and emotionally gripping little gem and a clear example of what independent film can offer over most mainstream studio releases.

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Nicolas Cage stars as “Joe”, a former violent convict now reformed and working in the woods of rural Texas, as he develops a friendship with a teenage boy with family issues and a violent father, Joe struggles with getting involved in a situation that could turn him into the dangerous man he once was and destroy everything he has built.

Directed by David Gordon Green and starring Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan and Gary Poulter among others.