Deepwater

Nat (Black) is a stand up kid from his point of view. Which is about the only point of view during the entire movie. He is traveling to California to start over and build a life when he meets Finch (Coyote) and his very young wife Iris (Maestro) who run a hotel called Deepwater, among other side jobs, in rural America. Finch convinces Nat to stay and help fix up the place. Nat gets all sorts of ideas about the other characters. But in the end, everything is not as it appears for Nat. The psychological plot of the film is kept at bay while the seasoned acting keeps your attention over the length of the film. Some action aficionados would find it boring. I would classify it more as a drama than a thriller.

I will confess that the choices that director Marfield has made concerning cast and crew make me somewhat more sympathetic towards "Deepwater" than I otherwise might have been. Lucas Black is an underrated actor who deserves bigger roles and Charlie Clouser's NiN-like music suits the mood of the film very well. But I think the film has merits of its own. Compared to fellow indie/festival flick "Down in the Valley", which has some interesting similarities, "Deepwater" feels much more genuine to me.

A young man just out of ... well, some sort institution winds up in a small town working for a strange fellow (Peter Coyote) and lusting for his wife (Maestro). What initially seems like U- turn revisited turns out to be a quite different film in the end. The acting (mainly from washed-out but cool actors apart from Black) and the mood keep you fairly interested and the fairly down-to-earth tone that the film finally adopts work fine if you ask me. Worth watching, although not a masterpiece by any standard.

After recovering from a twisted ankle, the drifter Nat Banyon (Lucas Black) hitchhikes on the road, trying to reach Wyoming, where he dreams on having an ostrich farm. However he has an incident in a bar and he steals a car from the guy that was beating him. He heads to Wyoming, but he sees a car accident and he saves the driver Herman Finch (Peter Coyote), who owns the Deepwater Hotel. While spending the night in the hotel, Nat is arrested by the police, but Finch releases him from jail and proposes Nat to paint his hotel. In return, he gives an old blue Chrysler Newport to Nat, and lodges and feeds him in the hotel. While painting the hotel, Nat becomes obsessed on Finch's wife Iris (Mia Maestro) and discovers that Finch is a loan shark and corrupt. Further, he has a scheme with the car dealer Walnut (Michael Ironside) and his partner and with the Indian Joe Littlefeet (John Boncore) in the local casino and is protected by the corrupt police of Deepwater. After the mysterious death of a local and a policeman that had issues with Finch, Nat decides to leave Deepwater; but Iris seduces him and convinces Nat to travel after a box match promoted by Finch and stealing a large amount from the safe. On the day of the fight, Nat discovers the hidden secret in Deepwater.

"Deepwater" is a surprisingly great thriller that uses elements of film- noir and a twist that slightly recalls "Identity". The plot is supported by an excellent screenplay; great debut in the direction of the unknown David S. Marfield; top-notch performances of Lucas Black and Peter Coyote, supported by the veterans Michael Ironside and Lesley Ann Warren and the sexy and gorgeous Mia Maestro. The totally unexpected twist is a huge surprise that explains the flaws I believed there were in the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Deepwater, A Cidade do Medo" ("Deepwater, The City of the Fear")

This was the only Seattle Film Festival film I went to, and I was pleased to find it better than many mainstream movies I've seen. It was an unnerving mystery that sucked me in and genuinely surprised me.

Peter Coyote's portrayal of a strange motel owner was my favorite part of the film. I've seen Coyote in a lot of movies, and this has got to be the most interesting role I've seen him play yet. You're never sure if you want to love him or fear him, and that ends up working perfectly for the plot.

Deepwater had a lot of creepy, stylish, music-video type moments. The camera work was beautiful, and once you get to the end of the movie, the style of these sequences makes even more sense. I didn't feel like these scenes took away from the dramatic moments which were the core of the movie.

The director answered questions afterwards, and I was surprised to hear him talking about how low the budget was. He described some of what he would have done with a bigger budget, but I found myself wondering if the small budget helped force them to really focus the story. It's too late this year, but after seeing Deepwater I'm going to make sure I see more films at next year's festival.

A Southern boy (Lucas Black) gets a job working at a motel near an Indian reservation and casino. He discovers that the motel owner (Peter Coyote), a 1/8 Indian, is involved in a corrupt scheme with his Indian friends to get control of the casino. Some people are killed and the Southern boy believes the motel owner is responsible. The Southern boy has a fling with a waitress (Lesley Ann Warren), but becomes obsessed with the motel owner's wife (Mia Maestro). The boy hatches a plan to steal the husband's cash and run away with the wife. Before he does, he must engage in a challenge boxing match with the motel owner, an aging former pro boxer. The cast of characters in this movie are very interesting and the acting is really good. The atmosphere is eerie. This movie held my interest completely and I am easily bored. This movie deserves better than the 5.0 rating at this writing. I grade it an 8.