“Black Sea” is a British adventure thriller film directed by Kevin Macdonald and written by Dennis Kelly. SIDEWALKS’ own J.P. has his take on the film starring Jude Law.
BLACK SEA
Focus Features
Rating: R
Run Time: 114 Minutes
Director: Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “The Eagle”)
Writer: Dennis Kelly (“Utopia”)
Cast: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall
Studio Synopsis:
A suspenseful adventure thriller directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald, centering on a rogue submarine captain (two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law) who pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.
J.P.’s Take:
“Black Sea” is your desperate times call for desperate measures heist movie.
In the first half of the film, we follow Capt. Robinson (Jude Law), who’s just been let go from oceanic salvage company Agora. Once a stout submarine Captain, Robinson becomes a stringent fortune hunter, after meeting with his good friend Kurston (Daniel Ryan), who speaks of Nazi gold beneath the Georgian sea. From there we’re quickly whisked off to scenes inside a decommissioned Russian sub of the late 60’s, where Robinson pulls together a salty crew of half Russian and half English shipmates, as they hatch out a plan to recover the treasure.
Writer/director Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “State of Play”) and writer Dennis Kelly (TV series’ “Utopia,” and “Pulling”) create a script that not only escalate tensions by confining these men to an underwater coffin, but they also build in plot points which pit crewmembers against each other. As gold fever sets in, their position goes from a simple prospecting mission to a gripping swash-buckling pirate’s tale.
As Robinson tries to keep his crew under control, the pressure of finding the sunken treasure mounts up. Soon, his moral compass spins out of control causing further rifts among everyone aboard. Midway through the film, things descend deeper into chaos, which a sniveling company man named Daniels (Scoot McNairy) aids. You begin to wonder if they’re fighting for their salvation or for the promise of riches.
The story is one we’ve heard a zillion times ~ about the working class becoming victims of the economic down turn. Yet, it’s a story that holds together pretty well here, despite some inconstancies in Robinson’s transition from economic slave to martyr.
Nevertheless, many of the sub plots and situations are thought out practically, leaving its viewers with a plausible enough scenario.
Movie mate Rachael Staudt and I were gasping for air, while watching these brave souls push forward despite adversity. If it wasn’t the engine blowing up, electrical fires sparking off, or even the threat of military ships tracking them down, it was the men who were becoming unglued by the moment. Unfortunately, there were some deadly consequences to their rash actions. These factors invigorated the film, rather than sink it.
You can also thank the mixed bag of cast members, both known and unknown. Their befitting performances drove the point home and allowed the audience to care about their well-being.
Jude Law combines melancholy with heroism as he embodies his part as steel-jawed disciplinarian Robinson. He manages to portray the role with a blue-collar touch. Ben Mendelsohn joins him in the role of dive master Fraser. His psychopathic tendencies boil to the surface by the moment. Fresh face newcomer Bobby Schofield plays youngster Tobin. Robinson took a liking to Tobin for which he acted as a surrogate father to him. Schofield does provide a certain innocence and comedic outlet. Scoot McNairy, who excels at playing conniving creeps, puts a low-key spin on the corporate puppet role. He’s basically the catalyst for Fraser’s spiral into psychosis. I was ready to shoot him out of the airlock myself.
Filling out the remainder of the cast is Michael Smiley, who is mostly known for his comedic roles, becoming the emotional and moral anchor as Reynolds here. Grigoriy Dobrygin appears as the semi-slient Morozov, whom eventually becomes vocal further in the movie. Konstantin Khabenskiy plays Robinson’s comrade Blackie.
This movie came out of left field for me; I had no expectations what so ever. Pleasantly I was satisfied with the results, as I came out tensed up and pulse slightly racing. Through it’s understated allegorical, rhetorical and social messages, you receive an explosive if a bit intimate action/suspense/thriller that will catch you by surprise.