Movie Review: Get Low

Robert Duvall, as Felix Bush, has a strange request to make of the town funeral director, played by Bill Murray. Photo / Supplied

When Robert Duvall first looms into sight here, a menacing silhouette whose reputation scares children sick, it's impossible not to think of his first big-screen role almost 50 years ago, when his Boo Radley did much the same in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Fortunately the great actor, who turned 80 in January, is not saying goodbye just yet, but this would be an apt role for a swansong, that of a man who wants to be present at his own funeral.

The bare bones of the idea are based on fact: Felix "Bush" Breazeale did just such a thing in Tennessee in 1938 and you can read all about it here.

But the makers of this film have spun a tall story from the bare facts, a goodhearted blend of gothic fable and a touchingly off-key valentine to the sell-sell ethic of the American dream.

The movie's Felix Bush (Duvall), is a hairy and ornery hermit (the sign on his remote property reads "No Damn Trespassing: Beware of Mule") to whom the town has assigned the role of bogeyman. His need for a funeral is great news for the financially stressed local undertaker, Frank Quinn (Murray).

But the problem is that Felix wants a "funeral party" at which he will be present, so he can hear the stories people tell about him behind his back - and he has an original way of ensuring a good turnout.

Before matters come to a head, the story will disinter a couple of characters from Felix's distant past, a preacher (Cobbs) and an old flame (Spacek). They lead us into an explanation for Felix's actions which seems faintly banal, and certainly devoid of the gravity that the first 90 minutes lead us to expect.

But the film's a rich pleasure anyway, thanks to Duvall. He's an actor in whom there always seems to be so much going on beneath the surface and here each sigh and glance is freighted with such meaning that he holds us in the palm of his hand.

Murray too, nicely dialled back, lends an understated melancholy to the part of a man who must learn to rise above his baser instincts. The music's a bit overwrought, but this is a backwoods drama that really captures the imagination.

Stars: 4/5
Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Bill Cobbs
Director: Aaron Schneider
Running time: 103 mins
Rating: M
Verdict: Duvall just gets better with age.