The Deep

This is must see movie. It is so refreshing to watch a non-Hollywood production that is honest, well-filmed and memorable.

The movie is based on true events.

I liked the cinematography, learning e little bit about the life in a small island nation, and having the story unfold.

The plot is not super-intense but showing the lives of the sailors before they go on the fishing trip makes the drama very realistic.

A real story, of real people, well told.

You will enjoy this film.

No Hollywood. That's good.

THE DEEP isn't an amazing film but it is a heartfelt and compelling one that tells an amazing true story. It's also one of those outdoor 'wilderness' type films that explores man's survival against the elements, and it has the novelty of being an Icelandic film too.

The story takes place in 1984 and tells of a group of fishermen being flung into the freezing Atlantic when their fishing boat sinks. One of the men decides to swim for land and the film tells his difficult tale with death and danger dogging his every stroke. The narrative involvement is slim, but the film offers fascinating visuals that truly get across the sublime nature of the frozen north.

Olafur Darri Olafsson (BEOWULF & GRENDEL) is excellent in the leading role and gives a truly naturalistic performance. The latter part of the film almost moves into X-Files territory but retains the realism throughout. Director Baltasar Kormakur seems to spend his time either making movies in his own country or popping over to Hollywood for the likes of 2 GUNS and CONTRABAND, but this is definitely the most interesting - and oddly enchanting - film I've seen from him.

This film is based on a real life drama where an Icelandic fishing vessel sinks and 5 crew are drowned. The 6th member of the crew survives hours in bitterly cold sea and swims miles to an island where he is rescued. The acting is brilliant and a realistic portrayal of the fisherman's ordeal. I also liked the before and after build up of the main character's lifestyle and the setting of Icelandic folk living in basic and difficult conditions but sharing a camaradie and kinship. Scientists were baffled as to how this apparently unfit man survived the extreme conditions and he became something of a celebrity and underwent investigative tests in America and UK. In the end he returned to his old ways of life but I think as a wiser and better man. He was a simple hardworking regular guy who survived extreme conditions through metabolism but also his dogged determination. I found it particularly moving to see footage of the real life person.

Based on a true story, this is a gripping tale of how an Icelandic sailor survives a sinking. The director really has a firm idea of the values and lifestyles of the sailors on this boat. The psychology of survival is demonstrated in imaginative ways, those choices that must be made in milliseconds and made correctly. The flash back scenes of what happened in the seaside town are done imaginatively. The choice of grayish tones and the weather beaten look of the boats adds to the gravity of the story as well as the impersonal and cold scientific team that handles the enquiry. We are reminded of the simple, but dangerous lives that many people have to live. They do so with dignity.

Even as a viewer and even though you might feel at times like it, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to quit. And while that is not nearly as impressive as what you'll see in the movie (and after the movie is over, even in the special features of your disc hopefully), the movie shows you what endurance is about.

While there are no clear answers to some questions, the movie has a strong will just as one main character also does. You might feel indifferent in the middle of it (like another reviewer wrote), but I'm pretty sure you won't be by the end of the movie. It's just impossible not to be impressed by what actually did happen. Very well played and very well shot indeed