Has there ever been a resurgence quite like Matthew McConaughey's? Starting off with the better-than-you'd-expect 'The Lincoln Lawyer', and then going on to do some stellar character work in the likes of 'Magic Mike', 'Killer Joe' and 'The Paperboy', this guy has really turned his career around. And now here he is, working with director Jeff Nichols on his follow up to the fantastic Take Shelter, and turning in another attention-grabbing performance.
Two young boys and best friends - Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) - discover a fully intact boat high up in the branches of a tree on an island near where they live. Wanting to claim it for themselves, they discover it's actually already been occupied by Mud (McConaughey). So they strike up a deal with the charming stranger; they'll bring him supplies so he can escape with his townie girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and he'll give the boat to the boys. But things get a bit more complicated once the boys realise that Mud is actually on the run from the law, as well as some other, less savoury characters.
Mud follows in the footsteps of Stand By Me with young boys on a grown up adventure, but where Stand By Me was about learning about life on their way to something dead, Mud deals with death while helping a man to escape with his life. Ellis has to face all kinds of death on his travels, including the death of his parents' marriage, his first love, his own innocence... He is the 22nd century version of Huckleberry Finn.
Tye Sheridan is going to be a huge star on the back of this movie, with his performance not being a million miles away from Jennifer Lawrence's break-out in Winter's Bone. Along with Lofland as his comic relief, they've got a fantastic grown up supporting cast with the likes of Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson and Michael Shannon showing up in small but important roles. But this movie belongs to Mud himself. Even as the movie drags its feet past the two hour mark, you're still fully invested in seeing where the character will end up. Now who would've ever dreamt we'd be saying that about a Matthew McConaughey movie?