Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon
Directors: Jeff Nichols
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Run Time: 130 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
“Mud” was one of the first sleeper hits of 2013. It started small but built a lot of noise behind it. It is a sure to be cult classic in the near future. It is a very nice blend of coming-of-age and adventure film with some amazing performances lead by Matthew McConaughey. Normally I am a not a fan of Reese Witherspoon but she does an excellent job as well. Also it will be a big snub if Tye Sheridan doesn’t get any award noms for this role. If you want more cast, we still got Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon (aka Zod from “Man of Steel”), Joe Don Baker, Ray McKinnon and Sarah Paulson as well. Definitely recommend this!
Official Premise: Mud is a timeless adventure about two boys, Ellis (Sheridan) and his best friend Neckbone (Lofland), who find a mysterious man named Mud (McConaughey) hiding out on a deserted island in the Mississippi. Mud tells the boys fantastic stories about his life including how he once killed a man in Texas and now vengeful bounty hunters are after him. He says he is planning to meet and escape with the love of his life, Juniper (Witherspoon), who is waiting for him in town. Skeptical but intrigued, Ellis and Neckbone agree to help him. But it isn’t long until Mud’s tall-tales come to life and their small town is besieged by bounty hunters out for blood.
Lionsgate is releasing this film as a combo pack with Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UltraViolet. I feel that this should be the norm today and my preferred choice with releases. The 1080 transfer with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 looks amazing. The locations where this film was shot look amazing and really stand out. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is amazing as well. It is subtle yet very effective for sure. The special features are decent but not spectacular. First we have an audio commentary track from director Jeff Nichols. Then we get four short featurettes, “A Personal Tale”, “The Arkansas Ensemble”, “Southern Authenticity” and “The Snake Pit”, which looks into the cast and the production.