Action
filmmaker Renny Harlin got his big break directing the fourth installment of the
Nightmare On Elm Street series. The only major film he had to his credit at that
point was a ludicrous action thriller called Born American. Elm Street gave him
the push he needed and then he was given the go-ahead on Die Hard 2, which put
him in the big time. Aside from the Elm Street and Die Hard sequels, Cliffhanger
was his only other major success. The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane and Cutthroat
Island fizzled at the box office, and The Long Kiss Goodnight did moderate business.
This brings us to Deep Blue Sea, an underwater thriller about genetically altered
sharks.
The
film is an ensemble featuring: Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Saffron Burrows,
Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Stellan Skarsgaard. Most of the
performances, Jackson included, are mediocre at best and the as usual in a Harlin
film, the dialogue is atrocious. Even the special effects lack punch. The rubber
sharks look phony and the computer generated sharks look too cartoonish.
The
big surprise is that I still enjoyed Deep Blue Sea. Harlin, more than ever, shows
his extraordinary technical skills in making a thriller that has a great sense
of timing, beautiful production values, and some truly terrifying moments (including
one that you will not expect).
This
film is reminiscent of other better movies like Jaws, Alien, The Abyss, and Jurassic
Park; however, it is what it is--a brisk, exciting action movie. Also, the camp
value in this film works much better than it did in Lake Placid. Perhaps thatÕs
because Placid tried so hard to be funny, whereas Deep Blue Sea plays it straight.
One
can only hope that Harlin will someday combine good action with a good screenplay,
and learn how to work with actors better. For now, he's got execution down and
with Deep Blue Sea, that's enough to keep it alive.
