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Deep
Blue Sea
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Clips from the movie
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Cast:
LL Cool J ,
Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson,
Jacqueline McKenzie (I),
Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsg,
Aida
Turturro, Cristos Daniel Rey, Valente Rodriguez, Brent Roam
Eyal Podell,
Erinn Bartlet, Dan Thiel
- Filmmakers:
Renny Harlin
Duncan Kennedy (written by) and
Donna Powers
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Trailer
| Official
Website
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Visit
the official Deep Blue Sea website.
July 27 1999
Runtime: USA:104 / UK:104 / Finland:105 / Japan:105
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS>
Certification: USA:R / UK:15 /
Finland:K-16 / France:-12 / Germany:16 / Hong Kong:IIB
/ Netherlands:16 / New Zealand:M / Norway:15 /
Portugal:M/12 / Sweden:15 / Australia:M / Belgium:KNT
User Rating: 7.8/10
(3967 votes)
How fast can you swim? Searching for a cure to
Alzheimer's disease a group of scientists on an isolated
research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent
sharks fight back.
With "Die Hard 2",
"Cliffhanger", the misunderstood
"Cutthroat Island", the underrated
"Long Kiss Goodnight" and guilty pleasure
(but pretty damn good) "Adventures Of Ford
Fairlane", Renny Harlin has proven himself time
and again as one of the most visually competent
action directors around. I've always stood behind
his work, I sincerely love most of his movies. With
"Deep Blue Sea", Harlin is in the midst of
trying to keep his career going due to the low box
office take of his previous films. The result is a
movie that's on autopilot. An attempt to reclaim the
respect of the studios and the audience with a
slam-bang summer film that gets the job done easily,
you just won't respect it in the morning.
Maybe the largest problem in "Deep Blue"
is the casting. Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane lead
the cast that also includes Samuel L. Jackson, LL
Cool J, and Michael Rapaport. Both Burrows and Jane
give what can only be described as seriously lacking
performances. As the members of a science and
research team in a state-of-the-art ocean facility
off the coast of Baja, Mexico, the crew is in the
midst of a study on sharks. The sharks hold the key
to a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease and other
brain dysfunctions(explained more thoroughly in the
trailer for the film than in the actual film). The
scientists have enlarged the brain of the beasts,
making them smarter and faster. When a corporate
executive (Jackson) arrives for a tour of the
facility, the sharks begin an uprising that
threatens the crew's very existence. Out in the
middle of nowhere, the team tries to survive both
the sharks and the sinking structure.
Saffron Burrows is just the wrong choice for the
lead scientist role. Her British monotone ruined a
bad film ("Wing Commander") and brought
down a good one ("The Loss Of Sexual
Innocence"). I don't believe she has that much
talent besides her beauty, and her lethargic
presence here directly conflicts with the
high-octane action that surrounds her. Thomas Jane
on the other hand, was good in the role of Dirk
Diggler's drug-dealing friend in "Boogie
Nights". He seemed more alive in 30 minutes of
screen time in that film than all 95 minutes of
"Deep Blue Sea". I'm a bit surprised that
nobody mentioned the lack of enthusiasm during
filming. For the lead role, the film needed someone
who can burst off the screen with fury and charm.
Jane has neither. He leaves the film all wet. LL
Cool J is a refreshing talent and captures several scenes in
the movie with his great facial display of fright and humor.
Saying that "Deep Blue Sea" needed better
acting might be stretching it a bit. This is a
action film with plenty of thrills and many
explosions. You cannot expect Shakespeare when you
buy a ticket to this. Still, the script credited to
three writers is very weak(I assume large parts of
the story were cut for time) and the score by Trevor
Rabin is the blandest, most perfunctory music to hit
the ears in a long time. Hopes were really high for
this, but all the bad parts add up quickly.
Harlin's specialty is the action sequence. He's one
of the few directors left who knows how to squeeze
the audience just right. "Deep Blue" is
filled with wonderful suspense sequences and a
genuine amount of anxiety. The computer-generated
sharks move with alarming speed and dexterity. They
keep the patrons on their toes. I cannot remember
the last time I heard an audience scream with fear.
Harlin milks every moment for the most thrills. I
was very tense throughout the film. Rare for a guy
as jaded as me.
The comparison to "Jaws" is very
unfortunate. Just because the film features sharks
doesn't immediately suggest a "Jaws"
ripoff. We have had about 10 high school films with
interchangeable plots and identical climaxes, yet
nobody bats an eye over that. "Deep Blue
Sea" stands alone with it's rousing thrills and
deeply undernourished script. "Jaws" it
ain't.
It's hot and the summer is about 3/4 of the way
through. Escapism with "Eyes Wide Shut" or
"Blair Witch Project" is impossible.
"Deep Blue Sea" feeds the good old need of
action, action, and more action. It's summer
entertainment in the highest order, and damn it, the
thing works. Hopefully Harlin can rebound in the
future with better material.
I highly recommend it.Genre:
Action / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Film is rated:
R for graphic shark
attacks, and for language.
For additional ratings
information please visit:
mpaa.org
filmratings.com
parentalguide.org
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