Get Low (2010)

Robert Duvall gets few parts worthy of his fierce, unlimited talent. “Get Low” is worthy. He plays Felix Bush, a 1930s Southern backwoods hermit, cantankerous and so feared by locals that little boys dare each other to step foot on his property. When he hears of a former friend’s death, Bush – ill, worn out, tired of being alone and haunted by a tragedy – opts for a unique send-off: He wants his funeral held before he dies. He wants to hear stories about himself, and tell one of his own, not to the townsfolk – all are invited – but to one woman (Sissy Spacek) from his past. Duvall tears into this role with the hellfire might he had in “Network.” This is his film, and the other actors – a hilarious Bill Murray as a likely ex-con turned legit undertaker – stand back in awe. Only Lucas Black as Murray’s trainee is out of his league, but his character is written as a dull Boy Scout unsuited to the dark brushes of comedy and pain on display. Director Aaron Schneider makes his debut here, and his work – cinematography, sound, music, cast, design – feels directed by a pro. Duvall is a national treasure. A-