If you are ever boarding a plane and you see Aaron Eckhart in the cockpit you should probably take another flight. Between this movie and Clint Eastwood’s “Sully", Eckhart manages to be the co-pilot on two disastrous flights. Of course one of them turns out well and he ends up a hero, This one, not so much. “Deep Water” Is an Amalgam Of Disaster Film And Shark Exploitation. Like the movie “Bait" from a few years ago, we have a disaster followed up by shark attacks, but instead of a tsunami, “Deep Water” has a plane crash in the ocean.
To be honest with you I wasn't expecting much, this looks like it might even be a straight to video Shark film. It's actually much better than it has any right to be and in fact Renny Harlin, the director of this film, seems to be back in form when it comes to creating a suspenseful action movie. After early successes like “Die Hard 2” and "Cliffhanger” , Harlan has been inconsistent, with several films relegated to direct video in the last 10 years. He had a film out last year that just got a token release in theaters and I'll bet you didn't even know that. Unfortunately this film also got a very limited release, and because it didn't take over the box office in the first weekend it disappeared from most theaters, which is too bad. “Deep Water" is an exciting disaster picture, with a truly horrifying crash sequence and plenty of suspense in the shark sections.
Ben Kingsley is the co-star, and he's just fine as the older pilot, who makes the initial tough decisions Ultimately he gives way to Eckhart's First officer. Not to give too much away, that's not by choice. There is just enough character development of some of the passengers to make us interested in what's going on, but not so much just to turn it into a soap opera. When the time comes for us to root for certain characters to survive or to be consumed, we know exactly where our feelings are going to rest.
Slow burn is not the way I would describe the picture but it does take its time to get started. Once the crash sequence starts however, it is phenomenally frightening and I think it will make you more afraid of flying than the Sharks will make you fear being in the water. The combination of practical effects and CGI are very convincing. The interior shots of the plane are very effective and practical, and even the exterior CGI is pretty solid. There are a number of hazards that show up in the crash sequence that you probably haven't thought about , but will make you nervous the next time you get on an airplane. Fires and falling luggage are bad enough, but you better keep your seatbelt on if you know what's good for you.
In the long run this film doesn't do anything new, it just does what it's supposed to do very well and that is to entertain us. You should be gripping your arm rest pushing yourself back into the seat and occasionally closing your eyes during several moments in the film. The Shark sequences are solid, and I think the sharks look better than the CGI sharks that Harlan had in “Deep Blue Sea”, but I'll probably get yelled at for saying so.
Aaron Eckhart's character has a personal backstory that doesn't seem to make much sense, and it is clearly manipulative at the end of the film. That's okay though, his character has managed to secure the safety of as many passengers as possible, including the adorable children that you knew were going to be part of the plot.
So you probably won't get a chance to see this in theaters but when it shows up on your streaming service, take the plunge and fork over a couple of bucks. One of The Producers on the film, of which there are at least a hundred it seems like, is Gene Simmons of Kiss, who of course wants your money. So go ahead and give it to him and have a good time and enjoy the surprise of a competently made film that does what it sets out to do without embarrassing anyone.
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