I see a lot of conflicting opinions about "Dead In The Water", which doesn't surprise me. I think the filmmakers actually succeeded in making the movie they set out to make, but the film they wanted to make is pretty "noir" and cynical in its approach, and will definitely not appeal to many people. James Cain would feel right at home with a story like this, as would Cornell Woolrich and Jim Thompson. James Ridley might write a story like this, or Lawrence Block in one of his grimmer moods.
I caught DITW on cable late one night - the title pulled me in, and while the plot and the characters and the dialog were irritating enough to make me change the channel repeatedly, it was still the most interesting thing going on at that hour and I kept coming back to it (a bit like drinking Everclear or poking at a scab). Then it appeared again a couple of nights later, and I decided to make myself sit all the way through it to see what the deal was and why it hacked me off but made me want to watch it. Here's my conclusion: There's a certain morbid fascination with a film like this, as things go from OK, to bad, to worse, to awful, to screamingly awful to over-the-top lunacy by small steps, with each step inexorably developing from the previous one and driven by the logic of the situation and the moral bankruptcy of the characters. And there's a perverse glee and relief in seeing such attractive/social elite young people (who would normally stare right through you at the airport as they bopped along to their next fabulous resort stay) start to act like human hyenas as they grow more and more desperate. So if you like stories where people screw up big time and prove once again that humans are no damn good, this is the movie for you. Soccer moms and other faithful subcribers to the Disney Worldview should stay far, far away.
Kudos to the four actors for fine jobs in carrying out the director's vision; also, as other reviewers have noticed, beautiful soundtrack and great photography.
I caught DITW on cable late one night - the title pulled me in, and while the plot and the characters and the dialog were irritating enough to make me change the channel repeatedly, it was still the most interesting thing going on at that hour and I kept coming back to it (a bit like drinking Everclear or poking at a scab). Then it appeared again a couple of nights later, and I decided to make myself sit all the way through it to see what the deal was and why it hacked me off but made me want to watch it. Here's my conclusion: There's a certain morbid fascination with a film like this, as things go from OK, to bad, to worse, to awful, to screamingly awful to over-the-top lunacy by small steps, with each step inexorably developing from the previous one and driven by the logic of the situation and the moral bankruptcy of the characters. And there's a perverse glee and relief in seeing such attractive/social elite young people (who would normally stare right through you at the airport as they bopped along to their next fabulous resort stay) start to act like human hyenas as they grow more and more desperate. So if you like stories where people screw up big time and prove once again that humans are no damn good, this is the movie for you. Soccer moms and other faithful subcribers to the Disney Worldview should stay far, far away.
Kudos to the four actors for fine jobs in carrying out the director's vision; also, as other reviewers have noticed, beautiful soundtrack and great photography.