O Fundo do Mar

This film didn't quite make the splash that "Jaws" did two years earlier but remains a fine picture with tense moments and fine underwater photography. The stars, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset, a vacationing couple, find a different kind of treasure in a wreck off the Bermuda shore and soon have the island thugs around to pay them a visit. Seems as though a cache of morphine could be profitable in the drug market, which a Haitian dealer desires to exploit. The latter uses intimidation and voodoo to get his point across to the couple, who later get help from a seaman and treasure expert to keep the villains at bay. Bisset is nice to look at in her wet t-shirts and shorts but Robert Shaw and Lou Gossett supply the key moments of drama in the film more than do Nolte or Bisset. The picture does drift off course in spots but Shaw and Gossett stay on a collision course that results in an exciting undersea climax. The film never received its due as an adventure worthy of critical acclaim.

This movie has it all. I remember seeing this movie when it came out on TV.At the time I didn't know why I liked it so much, but now I know it was the ocean, the adventure, mystery, and intrigue. I just loved this movie. And I can't help it, I still do. I love the ocean scenes, and Nick Nolte's acting (not to mention Jacqueline's). I just ran across the DVD at Wally World for $5.50 and I had to buy it. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this movie and I have to give it a 10/10. I felt that all the acting was just fine including Robert Shaw's. I think that anyone who likes islands, adventure, scuba diving for gold, and beautiful woman will enjoy this movie.

Reason number one is of course the opening wet t shirt sequence. Jacqueline Bisset's famous breasts are on ample display, but cannot maintain interest for 123 minutes of "The Deep". I would hate to see the extended 176 minute version, because scenes, especially underwater, are stretched way too long as is. Reason number two is the fight on the beach cliff elevator. This is certainly a unique contraption, and makes for an exciting and well photographed confrontation. Reason number three is Robert Tessier's battle with one of Lou Gossett's thugs. This is about as intense as it gets. Reason number four is if you ever wanted to see the top blown off a lighthouse, this is your movie. The slow motion explosion is amazingly shot. That's about it for "The Deep". The motives for all the treasure hunting mayhem are murky and the rushed underwater ending is disappointing. - MERK

In Bermudas, while diving for pleasure, David Sanders (Nick Nolte) and Gail Berke (Jacqueline Bisset) find a submerged vessel, and they bring a couple of objects withdrawn from the ship. They look for the advice of Romer Treece (Robert Shaw), an expert in treasures and old ships, and they realize that indeed there were two vessels in the same location: a French one, from the Eighteenth Century, with a treasure in jewels, and another one, from the war, with a load of morphine. David and Gail associate to Treece, trying to recover part of the underwater wealth. Meanwhile, the powerful Haitian drug dealer Henri Cloche (as Louis Gossett Jr.) menaces the group, trying to get the drugs. "The Deep" is a very linear adventure, without any plot point or surprises. The wonderful locations, the magnificent photography, the good cast and the amazing beauty of Jacqueline Bisset support this movie, which is recommended for killing time only. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Fundo do Mar" ("The Bottom of the Sea")

Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset star in this solid "B" movie, meant to entertain not challenge the average movie goer. Allow your mind to suspend reality for a couple of hours, and enjoy "The Deep" for what it is. Fans of Robert Shaw, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Eli Wallach will be pleased to see them on screen, but less than satisfied with their weak parts.

When first released, the scenery above and below the water in "The Deep" proved to be amazing. Jacqueline Bisset appeared draped in a wet t-shirt, causing audience members everywhere to either gasp, gulp or sigh. Accompanied by multiple tropical fish, Ms. Bisset's underwater scenes are just as satisfying.

My recollections of seeing "The Deep" for the first time in the theater, include sitting in the front row with head bent backwards, watching oversize tropical fish swimming back and forth across the screen. I get a hint of a stiff neck every time I review the movie in my head!

I do recommend you rent or buy "The Deep." Pop up some popcorn, put your feet up and just let yourself be immersed in this entertaining and gorgeous at times, movie. -- M. Nels Pearson