'The Underneath' is a moody, ultra-stylish "film noir" from Steven Soderbergh, the director of 'Sex, Lies & Videotape', 'Kafka' and 'King of the Hill'. Though you’d never guess it based on its very-limited theatrical release and its all-too-brief theatrical run, this movie is a minor masterpiece of filmmaking bravado.
A remake of the 1948 "noir" thriller 'Criss Cross', 'The Underneath' is the story of a compulsive gambler, Michael (Peter Gallagher, who’s wonderful in his first lead role), who quietly returns home for the impending marriage of his mother. Once home, he comes face to face with all the reasons—and people—that were instrumental in his running away in the first place. Through a twist of events, his stepfather-to-be gets him a job as an armored car driver. And when the dangerously-jealous and paranoid new boyfriend of Michael’s ex-flame becomes suspicious of his return, Michael plunges into a criminal plot in order to save himself—a job that has deadly, unpredictable consequences.
Soderbergh does a masterful job of creating mood and atmosphere, employing various color schemes to key sequences and utilizing clever camera tricks. 'The Underneath' is a colorful feast for the eyes at every turn. And keep your eyes peeled for some clever "noir" flourishes (my favorite: our dupe of a hero gets his hand stamped at the villain’s nightclub and the ink stain reads "loser" and "sucker" on different occasions). Soderbergh’s widescreen compositions (which are butchered beyond recognition on the pan-and-scan cassette) are intact here—the liner notes indicate that, at Soderbergh’s request, the image is presented at a ratio of roughly 2.1:1, to best represent the 2.4:1 theatrical ratio; I think the ratio is actually a bit wider than 2.1:1, and it’s consistently satisfying.
After the film, MCA/Universal has included the trailer (nice move!) and a crash course in the joys of letterboxing: chapter 43 presents the viewer with a side-by-side demonstration of both the pan-and-scan and letterboxed versions of a key scene. Critics who still complain that letterboxing is not vital to a widescreen film will, hopefully, be silenced forever once they see the drastic difference between the two formats as demonstrated here.
VITAL STATISTICS: MCA/Universal Home Video; 2 sides; CLV; Anamorphic Widescreen (2.1:1); Stereo Surround; Chapter stops; $34.95.
S. Damien Segal.
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