- Date of Release: 18 March 2022
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Language: English
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Deep Water
RATING
Introduction
Onto one of the leftovers from the weekend and I finished watching the new English film Deep Water on Amazon Prime. When its trailer was out many people were mocking it to be the next Gehraiyaan and some people were comparing it to Gone Girl. Now some of you would know that I did receive a lot of flak for liking Gehraiyaan. Comments like, “This doesn’t happen in our society” or “this is against our culture” were doing the rounds whereas I was appreciating the film for its storytelling technique and its performances. As a critic, it is important to put your agenda aside and view the film for what it is. That said, I was really looking forward to watching Deep Water especially due to its starcast. So then does Deep Water run deep or is it just shallow, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Deep Water follows the story of a broke couple where the husband becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife’s lovers. The story is alright, not very novel but it is its treatment that I had a major problem with. This is touted as an erotic thriller but this is neither. The erotic elements are just on the surface without any deep dive in and this definitely ain’t a thriller. The screenplay opens on a decent note with the relationship between the two protagonists being shown on the verge of a breakup. There is a sensecof mystery in the air but the writers fail to capitalize on it. They were probably confused as to which way the drama should be maneuvered and whether they should opt for the erotica route or the thriller route. And they pick neither! The drama is all vanilla which moves at a leisurely pace. Almost everything is shown without holding any cards back. So even the killings seem diluted and lack any kind of impact. There is a bit of urgency towards the final.30 minutes but nothing which will excite you really. The drama ends on an insipid note which sums up the vanilla screenplay!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but they ought to have been better written. The BGM is alright and does its bit in not being too overbearing. The cinematography is good and some of the erotic scenes are captured with utmost authenticity and aesthetically so. Director Adrian Lyne manages to do an average job. He tries to incorporate the mood of Gone Girl but he doesn’t quite get it right. Also the direction is one dimensional and not layered which is a bit of a drawback.
Performances
The performances are pretty good. Kristen Connolly as Kelly has get moments to shine as does Tracy Letts as Don. Ana De Armas as Melinda looks beautiful and does a brilliant job. Ben Affleck as Vic is pretty good too. But when the script isn’t right, there is little any actor can do to save it.
Conclusion
Deep Water is all vanilla, it is neither quite erotic and definitely not a thriller, just bland and tasteless. Available on Amazon Prime.