The Underneath [DVD]

Product Description Peter Gallagher, Academy Award-nominee Elisabeth Shue and Joe Don Baker set the stage for danger in this provocative thriller from the director of sex, lies and videotape. A charming drifter returns to his "home," where he makes a desperate and very dangerous deal in order to reclaim his ex-girlfriend (Alison Elliott). When passion ignites into obsession, a treacherous game of "who can you trust?" spins a deadly web of intrigue and murder - from which no one escapes unscathed. Bonus Content: Production Notes Cast and Filmmakers Theatrical Trailer Why Letterbox? The Underneath Framing Chart Alignment Signals Bars and Tones Forever Swelltone ]]> Amazon.com Whereas most movie remakes are straightforward updates of older (and usually better) movies, this 1994 crime drama tries to revitalize an old story with a few tricks of its own. Using the 1949 film noir thriller Criss Cross as his primary inspiration, director Steven Soderbergh takes a different, stylistically adventurous approach to the story of a habitual screwup (Peter Gallagher) who returns to Austin, Texas, for his mother's wedding and tries to pick up where he left off. He left a lot of people angry at him, including his abandoned wife (Alison Elliott) and some book-makers looking for payment on old debts. He concocts a robbery scheme after taking a job with an armored car company, and from that point forward Underneath lives up to its title, using multiple flashbacks to relay the story of a man who slips below the border of propriety and gets himself into all kinds of trouble. Although it's too low-key to generate consistent excitement, the movie draws you in with its intriguing plot and characters, and the flashback structure keeps you guessing about what will happen next. Not a great film by any means, but in hindsight it can be viewed as valuable preparation for Soderbergh's highly underrated 1998 thriller Out of Sight. --Jeff Shannon