Into the Deep
Erotic, #MeToo-tinged mystery-thriller calls to mind "Dead Calm" and an inspired "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" episode.
Film Yap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
If you’re anything like me while watching “Into the Deep” (available in select theaters and on VOD beginning Friday, Aug. 26) you’ll be thinking of two other distinct pieces of pop culture – 1.) Phillip Noyce’s 1989 thriller “Dead Calm” and 2.) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Season 6, Episode 3 “The Gang Buys a Boat.”
Jess (Ella-Rae Smith) is dissatisfied with her life in a small, seaside English village. Her mother perished in a car accident and she and her father Mark (Andrew Steele) have a distant relationship. She works at a boutique with her gal pal Emi (Nikkita Chadha) and often has to rebuff the advances of Tom (Jack Morris).
Jess’ attention is immediately drawn to Ben (Matthew Daddario, Indiana University alumnus and Alexandra’s brother) upon his arrival. He’s a handsome American with a handsomely-appointed yacht. The duo board the anchored boat for a night cap, she falls asleep and awakens the next morning out on the high seas.
Upset at first, Jess quickly … far too quickly if you ask me … warms to the idea of being out in open water with Ben. Two becomes three with the appearance of Lexie (Jessica Alexander), who’s passed out on a jet ski. Ben and Jess help Lexie aboard and give her medical treatment. Once Lexie’s settled, drinks and drugs are indulged in by the trio and things get weird.
“Into the Deep,” as directed by Kate Cox (in her feature debut) and scribed by David Beton (he wrote and produced the Scott Adkins DTV vehicle “Green Street 3: Never Back Down” under the name of Ronnie Thompson), depends on its characters to make some awfully dumb decisions. Granted, like many a movie there ain’t much story without characters making chump-y choices.
I dug a lot of what the filmmakers did here. Shot in Cornwall, there’s a proliferation of pretty scenery. I also appreciated the abundance of striking underwater shots.
From a performance and scripting perspective, the movie excels at making its audience sway their allegiances and question characters’ motivations. All three leads are attractive and appealing enough despite their characters doing appalling things. Daddario especially has a presence that calls to mind more established talents Matthew Bomer and Henry Cavill … the cat’s almost as pretty as his striking sister.
Unlike “Dead Calm,” this is the tale of two dames and a dude as opposed to two dudes and a dame (Sam Neill, Billy Zane and Nicole Kidman). It’s an erotic, #MeToo-tinged mystery-thriller that’ll leave you wondering if Jess should opt for hoes before bros or dicks before chicks for much of its runtime. As Dennis Reynolds often suggests, there are implications.