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Two Southern boys in their early teens, Ellis and Neckbone, come upon a desperate fugitive ( Matthew McConaughey ) hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River. He has killed a man in Texas who had hurt a girl ( Reese Witherspoon ) he professes to love and asks the boys for help. They agree and thus begins a little bit of a fairy tale, a little bit of coming of age, and a whole lot of a drama about adults, warts and all. As characters develop, the storyline becomes layered and the drama builds to a violent climax. The film runs a little over two hours but I was hooked all the way.
An outstanding performance by McConaughey, and by the young actor ( Tye Sheridan ) who portrayed 14 year old Ellis, as well as good performances in smaller roles by Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard ( Mud's father figure ), and Sarah Paulsen and Ray McKinnon as Ellis's troubled parents. The film was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, who was new to me. I must say, this guy has a future in filmmaking.
I wouldn't recommend this as family fare as things get pretty violent toward the end. I feel it is more suited to those of us who love character driven dramas. If that's you, then you owe it to yourself to see this one soon. :5:
An outstanding performance by McConaughey, and by the young actor ( Tye Sheridan ) who portrayed 14 year old Ellis, as well as good performances in smaller roles by Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard ( Mud's father figure ), and Sarah Paulsen and Ray McKinnon as Ellis's troubled parents. The film was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, who was new to me. I must say, this guy has a future in filmmaking.
I wouldn't recommend this as family fare as things get pretty violent toward the end. I feel it is more suited to those of us who love character driven dramas. If that's you, then you owe it to yourself to see this one soon. :5:
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