They navigate the parallel worlds of the the town and the river just as they ride their bikes between what passes for family and the outliers who invade the town with their own vengeful conflicts. Every character was finely drawn regardless of their time onscreen. Michael Shannon as Neck's Uncle Galen, and Ray McKinnon as Ellis' father were my favorites. McConaughey dazzles, because he plays Mud as a foil to the two boys. It was a good strategy. A coming of age story must be about the individual who will become a man, not the corrupt man who creates the conflict. Ellis does his best given the models around him: his father, Mud, Mud's father (Sam Shepard), Galen, King, Carver. None of them is much good. Ellis and Neck must find their own way.
And they do.
