Get Low

Get Low is the story of a backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush (Duvall). For years, terrified townsfolk say he's done all sorts of unspeakable things—that he's killed in cold blood; that he's in league with the devil; that he has strange powers—and they avoid him like the plague. Then one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It's not your usual funeral for the dead that Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a living funeral, in which anyone who ever has had a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. Sensing an opportunity for a big payday, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Murray) enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson (Black), to win Felix's business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix's dark reputation, but what he discovers is that behind Felix's surreal plan lies a very real and long-held secret. As the funeral approaches, the mystery—involving the widow Mattie Darrow (Spacek), the only person in town who ever got close to Felix, and an Illinois preacher Charlie Jackson (Cobbs), who refuses to speak at this former friend's funeral—only deepens. But when the big day comes, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. This time, he's the one who is going to do the telling about why he has been hiding out in the woods. (Gary Reber)