The Underneath

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, The Underneath follows Peter Gallagher’s Michael Chambers as he finds himself in a whole mess of trouble after reuniting with his ex-girlfriend (Alison Elliott’s Rachel). Filmmaker Soderbergh, working from Sam Lowry and Daniel Fuchs’ screenplay, delivers an erratic yet mostly rewarding thriller that benefits substantially from its strong performances and often enthralling visuals, as Soderbergh, in terms of the latter, does an effective job of suffusing the proceedings with eye-popping cinematography that elevates even the simplest of sequences. (And it doesn’t hurt, either, that the movie boasts a frequently mesmerizing score by Cliff Martinez.) It’s clear, then, that The Underneath‘s hold on the viewer’s interest and attention takes a fairly palpable hit as it progresses into an overly lackadaisical midsection, and although the buildup to a pivotal heist sequence is admittedly quite tense and thrilling, Soderbergh, having bungled said heist itself with frustratingly shaky camerawork, offers up a climactic stretch that isn’t quite able to generate the suspense one might’ve anticipated (and expected). The end result is a hit-and-miss film noir that generally does feel like it could (and should) be so much better, which is a shame, certainly, given the potential inherent in the subject matter and roster of performers. (Fichter’s larger-than-life turn as the almost mustache-twirling villain is a highlight, to be sure.)

**1/2 out of ****