THE STORY – A group of international passengers en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai are forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. Now they must work together in hopes to overcome the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.
THE CAST – Aaron Eckhart, Angus Sampson, Molly Wright, Li Wenham, Zhao Simei, Richard Crouchley, Na Shi, Kate Fitzpatrick & Ben Kingsley
THE TEAM – Renny Harlin (Director), Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause & Damien Power (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 107 Minutes
There’s something oddly nostalgic about a film such as “Deep Water.” It really shouldn’t, because on the face of it, the film falls into a familiar line of disaster films that have yet to show any signs of stopping. A huge event that thrusts characters into a situation where they need to brave the elements on a sadistic journey of survival is a genre staple that has already had plenty of outings, including the abysmally dreadful “Greenland 2: Migration,” which could not capitalize on the success of its predecessor. However, much like that previously mentioned effort, many of these disaster pictures feel oddly confined. Despite the large-scale destruction, the focus is narrowed on a single grouping of individuals in a vain attempt to give some emotional depth and dimension to what are clearly meant to be disposable fodder for gruesome entertainment. It’s why there’s a comforting sheen to this particular film, which develops a throwback sensibility in the way its vast array of characters is assembled, like a classic 1970s Iwrin Allen epic. There’s a handful of fun moments to be had for those with such dispositions to enjoy such endeavors, though there is still a barrier that is difficult to surmount and become the truly entertaining ride it is meant to be.
It’s a busy day for those who are preparing to board a packed flight from Los Angeles heading to Shanghai, but not all baggage has been left to be checked in at the front desk. Nearly every person has an emotional weight thrust upon them as they head toward their destination. For the main protagonist, Ben (Aaron Eckhart), he’s reeling from a family tragedy that has kept him emotionally distant. It has contributed to his stalling career, sitting in the co-pilot chair next to Rich (Ben Kingsley). But he is not the only person who must telegraph that they’re “going through it.” There’s a blended family with a precocious young girl named Cora (Molly Wright) who battles her father for introducing a new stepmother and stepbrother into her life. Then there’s the Chinese Esports team, with romantic tension between the captain, Sam (Li Wenham), and his subordinate teammate (Zhao Simei). There’s a scuffle with a braggadocious American athletic group. Still, it’s a seed of conflict against another meet-cute happening between nerdy passenger Matt (Richard Crouchley) and flight attendant Zoe (Na Shi). He’s also got to contend with Becky (Kate Fitzpatrick), a feisty grandmother who can’t help but throw cheeky barbs at her seatmate.
But they’re all seemingly at the mercy of Dan (Angus Sampson), the utterly vile bloviator whose unkempt appearance and rude personality suggests he is destined to be hated by all. Not only that, but his very act of placing a malfunctioning charger in his luggage sets off the chain of events that leads to the ensuing terror. A fire breaks out below where the bags are stored, which escalates into a massive explosion. It forces the plane to make an emergency landing, and the crash breaks the aircraft into sections scattered across the ocean. There are a handful of survivors, namely those who have been given at least five seconds and two lines of dialogue within an introduction, and now is the moment to pull resources together and make it long enough to be rescued. However, that goal is complicated by the scourge of hungry sharks that are eager to devour anything that splashes in the open water. It’s now a race to see who can make it before succumbing to the terror beneath the surface.
The large assembly of characters is a double-edged sword in the film’s arsenal. On the one hand, it’s another aspect reminiscent of old disaster films, like “The Poseidon Adventure” and “The Towering Inferno,” which assembled large ensembles of recognizable faces to interweave personal stories amid the ensuing carnage. There’s even a winking reference to Becky as a Shelley Winters archetype within the dialogue. However, the success of those previous entries was due to endearing performers and engaging spectacle. It’s an arena that director Renny Harlin has been working within for decades, usually known for big blockbuster shlock that always knew how to find some avenue of entertainment. Several sequences are keyed into the delightful sights of destruction. When the giant metal storage crate is sucked out of a gaping hole and flies right into the propeller, you can’t help but cackle. When an air bubble is revealed as a vertical wall of water, it’s an impressive display of camerawork. The presence of sharks, made aware of floating bodies being quickly pulled under, gives just enough hints of effective tension. A shark gets into a battle with a helicopter’s descending cable, which forces another epic crash. These are the times when Harlin has a keen awareness of how to deliver a thrilling scene that can add genuine anxiety and impressive staging, a reminder of why he can still be considered a reliable talent.
However, Harlin’s touch still feels oddly muted in a narrative that is clunkily assembled and desperately needed more hyperactive imagination. The screenplay lays the necessary foundation but doesn’t put much effort into real characterization. In fairness, that wasn’t a priority for many of its predecessors either, so one is willing to forgive the shallow people we are tasked with observing. What is less forgivable is a tone that feels resistant to truly going wildly over the top and truly indulging in a ridiculous premise. It’s noticeable right away when the music during the plane crash feels sad and melancholy, an absurd choice that should be a moment of heart-racing action. Once things settle on the water, there are a few instances of nicely constructed shark attacks, with a few leaning heavily on the memory of one of Harlin’s best films, “Deep Blue Sea.” But soon, even these scenes become repetitive and stagnant, listlessly drifting from one group of characters to another as most of them are given banal deaths at the hands of these creatures. If the film isn’t going to create the most nuanced of characters, as no one would expect, then they deserve a grander exit than being quickly pulled underwater after a few chomps for the sixth time in a row. The dispatches are mostly lazy and uninspired, which is the biggest sin a film like this can commit.
Is it even worth commenting on the acting? Eckhart gives an earnest portrayal, at least as earnest as he can possibly be, while the audience imagines what an insane sequel to “Sully” this might have been. Actually, how funny would it have been to imagine him looking into the camera and saying, “How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice,” as a nod to the trailer to Harlin’s “Die Hard 2.” Anyway, he’s a stoic action hero with an emotional backstory meant to humanize him. Same with Kingsley, whose close-to-retirement detail is enough to signal his ultimate fate. It exists within the realm of mediocre performances he’s been known to give, but at least he sells the sentimentality enough while mostly sitting in the cockpit chair. Wright is fine as the obvious offspring stand-in, and as far as child performances go, she’s serviceable. Sampson is the only real standout among this group, only because of his total commitment to being the Capital-A Asshole everyone hates. He’s slimy and gross in an absurdist pitch that the rest of the film desperately needed to match, completely understanding the assignment of a broad villain who knows he’s in a disposable B-movie.
For those so inclined to enjoy such works, “Deep Water” will have you thoroughly entertained by what’s depicted on screen. The Renny Harlin from decades past, who could balance traditional studio storytelling with inventive visualizations, occasionally rears his head with some fantastic sequences that are both riveting and cheesy fun. The issue, however, is the consistency of that tone, which too often reverts to dull pacing and mundane execution. The actors do their best, but they aren’t the main attraction anyway. The script is bare bones, but it’s up to the crafting of the set pieces and the filmmaking to elevate the basic foundation. There’s scattered evidence of this objective being accomplished, but not nearly enough to designate this beyond the realm of Syfy Original Movie territory. Well, maybe it’s not quite as bad as that, but the potential for a much more engrossing venture is sadly bypassed for a merely passable showcase.
