Sharks. Real ones. With big, pointy teeth. Once you know that unknown actors Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis really are swimming with the blank-eyed beasties, this gripping little thriller gets all the more clammy. Some critics complained the small-budget, big-hype pitch was all bark, no bite - - because the sharks aren't, well, very large. Which is a bit like blaming someone for playing Russian Roulette with a Magnum instead of an Uzi. They look plenty large to us. And there's more to Chris Kentis' achievement than smart marketing, the writer/director marrying the you-are-there high concept with an understated sense of dread. As the divers drift in the open water, accidentally abandoned by their boat, the sea has rarelyseemed so vast, indifferent and terrifying. Pity Ryan as she whines, '"I wanted to go skiing'...
DVD Extras:
"Everything you see is real," claims Kentis in the Beneath The Surface Making Of, which may be true but doesn't make discussing it interesting. Surprisingly anecdote-light, the doc is rather dull, as is the commentary with the actors, Kentis and his other half, producer Laura Lau. Other elements, including deleted scenes and On The High Seas featurette, weren't ready for review, but we aren't holding our breath.
