After Take Shelter, i was really looking forward to Jeff Nichols next feature and i'm pleased to say Mud didn't disappoint. Reminiscent of Stand By Me crossed with Huckleberry Finn and Winter's Bone, at heart, its a coming of age tale. Not only for the child characters, Ellis and Neckbone but also McConaughey's character, Mud. McConaughey plays his role to perfection and theres excellent performances throughout from a strong cast. The ending, whilst entertaining, is a touch over the top though.

An unembellished, realistic story with great performances from Malling and Asbaek. However, the compressed timeline and the concentration of the film on the negotations rather than the hostages makes it feel a little detached and not overly satisfying.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Wonderfully inventive with a great soundtrack. The story is a little hard to pick up at first with its merging of dreams and reality but it becomes clearer as it progresses. Am looking forward to a re-watch!