Underneath (1995)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

Don Tracy (novel)
Steven Soderbergh (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 April 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

For passion, betrayal and murder... there's still no place like home.

Plot:

Michael Chambers returns home to celebrate his mother's marriage. Michael had been ousted from his home...

Plot Keywords:

Armored Car | Hitman | Professional Hit | Pool Table | Pool Hall

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peter Gallagher	...	Michael Chambers
Alison Elliott	...	Rachel
William Fichtner	...	Tommy Dundee
Adam Trese	...	David Chambers
Joe Don Baker	...	Clay Hinkle
Paul Dooley	...	Ed Dutton
Shelley Duvall	...	Nurse
Elisabeth Shue	...	Susan Crenshaw
Anjanette Comer	...	Mrs. Chambers
Dennis Hill	...	Guard Tom
Harry Goaz	...	Guard Casey
Mark Feltch	...	Guard George
Jules Sharp	...	Hinkle's Assistant
Kenneth D. Harris	...	Mantrap Guard
Vincent Gaskins	...	Michael's Partner

Also Known As:

The Underneath (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | France:Unrated | Finland:K-16 | Denmark:16 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Populist Pictures

Trivia:

Not allowed to co-sign the screenplay with his name for legal reasons, Steven Soderberg used the name "Sam Lowry", the anarchist character played by Jonathan Pryce in Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Susan Crenshaw: Are you getting off at Austin?

Movie Connections:

Version of Criss Cross (1949)

Muddled Re-Make Of 'Criss Cross'

I read somewhere where this film was supposed to be a remake of the 1949 film noir, "Criss Cross." I found the latter to be disappointing but it was still better than this film.

This movie is a "neo-noir" since it's modern-day and it's in color, two things that purists would make it be disqualified for film noir status.

The biggest negative to it, however, wasn't the cinematography (that was fine) but the muddled storyline. Hey, some of '40s Dashiell Hammett stories were similar but I didn't care for some of those either. The filmmakers here did not help the situation by placing flashbacks into the story what seemed like every three minutes. No wonder it was the keep up with this story. It was ridiculous! What happens is that by the 45-minute mark, their is so much confusion nobody cares anymore. I know I didn't.