Eaux profondes

Greetings again from the darkness. Based on his work, arguments can be made on both sides. Director Adrian Lyne is either a staunch believer in monogamous marriages, or he enjoys mocking the concept altogether. Surprisingly, this is his first film in 20 years since UNFAITHFUL (2002). To refresh your memory, he's also the force behind 9 ½ WEEKS (1986), FATAL ATTRACTION (1987), and INDECENT PROPOSAL (1993). Co-writers Zach Helm and Sam Levinson have adapted the script from the 1957 novel by Patricia Highsmith, who also wrote "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Strangers on a Train".

"Do you know I love you?" When one spouse feels the need to ask about love rather than declare it, you know it's an unusual marriage. And in the category of unusual marriages, you'd be hard-pressed to find an arrangement more bizarre than the one between Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas). Thanks to real life public drama for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, we all know that "open marriages" are a thing. But this with Vic and Melinda is neither fully "open" nor fully a marriage. Vic invented and sold a computer chip used in drones (mostly for warfare) and he's so rich, that he'd rather watch his free-spirited wife drag home new boy-toys than give her an expensive divorce. But that's as much explanation as we receive for what seems like a lose-lose-lose scenario. That third lose is for Melinda's gentlemen friends who seem to mysteriously disappear once Vic becomes aware of them. One is gone before the movie even starts, and he's followed by Jacob Elordi, Brandan Miller, and Finn Wittrock.

Perhaps the biggest mystery here is in deciding who displays more charisma, Affleck in this role or the snails that his character Vic breeds. We've joked about actors sleepwalking through roles before, but there are scenes here where that may actually be happening. Affleck mostly just dead-eyes Melinda and her men, though we are supposed to interpret his lack of expression as a combination of anger, jealousy, and lust. Fortunately, we have Ana de Armas to liven things up. She's a full-grown party girl going through various stages of designer dress and un-dress. The supporting cast is comprised of Dash Mihok, Lil Rey Howery (who is in every movie these days), Kristen Connolly, Grace Jenkins as the smarter-than-parents kid to Vic and Melinda, and Tracy Letts as a curious novelist constantly side-eyeing Vic as research for a new book.

Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it sleazy? Yes. Despite twenty years of no movies, director Lyne delivers another high-gloss, play-pretend trashy erotic thriller that will fit perfectly in the streaming world. Affleck disappoints here after strong turns in THE TENDER BAR (2021) and THE WAY BACK (2020), and Ms. De Armas will next appear as Marilyn Monroe in BLONDE. Ben and Ana had their tabloid moment as a romantic couple after filming, but she is now the gone girl, and he has since reunited with JoLo. There are too many gaps in the story and characters for this to be considered a serious movie, but it's sure to be entertaining enough for many.

Premiers on HULU beginning March 18, 2022.

It is a dark story of strange love between very strange people , with a very strange dynamic ) And , probably , it could have been better . Nevertheless ,I t kept me interested , engaged and entertained .Solid 7 stars .

6.4/10 Deep water was ok, but it's sort of like seeing a bad car wreck, it's awful but you still can't really stop looking at the aftermath. We weren't really bored watching this flim ethier so it's worth a viewing if you have nothing else your wanting to watch.

A tale of infidelity and its lethal consequences, "Deep Water", based on the novel by the equally interesting and unsettling Patricia Highsmith is a Decadent take on modern relationships. Ben Affleck reprises his "Gone Girl" role as the put upon husband who capitalizes the B on the beta male. Amid the torrent of pain and tension he resolves his dilemma in the only way his emasculated and hopeless state can. Slow going in a glacial, Euro non-American pace the dead spaces peppered throughout the film are alleviated by the decent acting and aura of heavy, sombre slight suspense as the gist of the plot is revealed halfway through. Ben Affleck is a natural as his washed-up alcoholic look puts the bathos in his character although like many films of his in recent times he looks like he's going through the motions. Perhaps it's time to quit acting or at least take a break. Ana de Armas is as usual nice eye candy but is miscast. She looks too nice to play the loose irresponsible inhabitant of a kennel to be convincing. The real star is the little girl who portrays the unhappy couple's daughter who provides most of the spunk and energy this sedate film has. The realist style used is what keeps the viewer glued from the conversations to the sex scenes the authenticity giving the flick a rawness and immediacy that makes up for the flaws. While no classic or standout this is one contemporary journey that takes one deep into the nature and state of modern society and the dehumanization of people in an age of isolation and indifference.

For the briefest moment in Deep Water's increasingly ridiculous tonal massacre of a climax, there's a slight glimmer that something sort of unique may happen. However, the feeling is fleeting as the film's ending simply confirms what we've already assumed through the previous hour and a half; not only does Deep Water not have any idea what it wants to be, but director Adrian Lyne doesn't seem up to figuring it out himself. Instead, Lyne poses the question, "What if an erotic thriller was devoid of sexuality while also lacking any suspense whatsoever?" The jumbled and maddeningly awkward Deep Water is the answer and it's not something that's worth seeking out.

Plot points are introduced and dropped, characters are introduced and never show up again, Ana De Armas' accent changes in alternate scenes, and perhaps the biggest hit against an erotic thriller, it's decidedly unsexy.

The non-existent chemistry between Affleck and De Armas may or may not be intentional, and to give the pair credit, they try to make the material work.

A film of this incompetence almost rarely gets made at a studio level anymore, and in the era of Marvel films being committee-designed and afraid to make big gambles, films like 'Deep Water' should be cherished for the beautiful disasters that they are.