Two boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and form a pact to help him reunite with his lover and escape.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Mud: Matthew McConaughey
• Juniper: Reese Witherspoon
• Ellis: Tye Sheridan
• Neckbone: Jacob Lofland
• Tom: Sam Shepard
• Senior: Ray McKinnon
• Mary Lee: Sarah Paulson
• Galen: Michael Shannon
• King: Joe Don Baker
• Carver: Paul Sparks
• May Pearl: Bonnie Sturdivant
• Miller: Stuart Greer
• Galen’s Helper: John Ward Jr.
• Princess: Kristy Barrington
• Kyle: Johnny Cheek
• Nelson: Kenneth Hill
• James: Michael Abbott Jr.
• Man at Budget Inn: Earnest McCoy
• May Pearl’s Friend: Allie Wade
• Motel Clerk: Douglas Ligon
• Male Nurse: Matt Newcomb
• Female Nurse: Mary Alice Jones
• Older Kid at Food King: Tate Smalley
• Bartender: Jimmy Dinwiddie
• Trooper at Roadblock: Ryan Jacks

Film Crew:

• Producer: Aaron Ryder
• Casting: Francine Maisler
• Unit Production Manager: Sarah Green
• Editor: Julie Monroe
• Costume Design: Kari Perkins
• Set Decoration: Beauchamp Fontaine
• Makeup Designer: Clinton Wayne
• Writer: Jeff Nichols
• Director of Photography: Adam Stone
• Executive Producer: Gareth Smith
• Original Music Composer: David Wingo
• Executive Producer: Tom Heller
• Art Direction: Elliott Glick
• Executive Producer: Glen Basner
• Producer: Lisa Maria Falcone
• Sound Mixer: Ethan Andrus
• Production Design: Richard A. Wright
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Shayna Brown
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Brandon Proctor
• Sound Effects Editor: Lyman Hardy
• Unit Production Manager: Michael Flynn
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Will Files
• Sound Effects Editor: Jeremy Bowker
• Mixing Engineer: Brad Engleking
• Makeup Artist: Robin Fredriksz
• Co-Executive Producer: Dan Glass
• Second Assistant Director: Hope Garrison
• Makeup Artist: Carla Brenholtz
• Associate Producer: Morgan Pollitt
• First Assistant Director: Cas Donovan

Movie Reviews:

• Wuchak: To love or not love in Arkansas along the Mississippi

  RELEASED IN 2012-2013 and written & directed by Jeff Nichols, “Mud” is a southern gothic crime drama taking place in Arkansas along the Mississippi River where two boys discover a fugitive named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) hiding out on an island and decide to help him evade the authorities & vigilantes that are on his trail in hope of reuniting him with his true love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon).

  This is a film about authentic Southern people and the code by which they live. Urbanized types usually refer to them as “rednecks.” While some of them may be “white trash,” most of them are not. They’re independent of the government, hardworking and respectful citizens, not to mention rooted in Christian morality, although not necessarily Christians. The film respects the intelligence of the viewer, leaving it to him/her to read between the lines. It’s similar to “Joe,” which was released a year later, but not as abrasively pessimistic and is overall better. In tone, it’s akin to “Undertow” (2004) and “Snow Angels” (2007). If you appreciate those flicks, you’ll like “Mud.”

  There are a lot of gems to mine: Ellis (Tye Sheridan) mirrors Mud as an adolescent. Will he make the same mistakes that brought Mud to his current state? The movie’s basically a rumination on the potential in both masculinity and femininity for good or bad, but the focus is more on the toxicity of some women, which is refreshing, as Hollywood tends to paint men as evil incarnate or thoroughly inept while women are usually sterling examples of eminent nobility (Why Sure!). The film also reveals the idealization of love and how “love is blind.” Just because you truly love someone in a romantic sense doesn’t mean s/he is good for you and that you should develop & maintain a relationship.

  I was never a fan of Witherspoon, but didn’t dislike her either. In any case, she’s quite good as the seemingly innocent-yet-toxic love interest. Bonnie Sturdivant is excellent as her teenage counterpart, May Pearl; they should’ve done more with her.

  THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hour 10 minutes and was shot in Arkansas (Crocketts Bluff, Eudora, Dumas and Stuttgart). ADDITIONAL CAST: Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks and Joe Don Baker.

  GRADE: B/B+