Shooting films at sea is notoriously difficult and more likely to result in something like Waterworld than Jaws. Shooting films underwater is even more challenging, and filmmakers need an extra amount of hard work and luck to succeed. One such successful film is The Deep, the 1977 action-adventure directed by Peter Yates.
The plot, based on the novel by Peter Benchley, is set in Bermuda. The protagonists are Gail Berke (played by Jacqueline Bisset) and David Sanders (played by Nick Nolte), an American tourist couple with a passion for scuba diving. During one of the dives they discover strange artefacts near the wreck of a cargo ship sunk during the Second World War. One is a morphine ampoule and the other is a medallion which might be related to an 18th-century ship rumoured to contain treasure. David is interested in the latter and contacts Romer Treece (played by Robert Shaw), a local lighthouse-keeper and expert in treasure hunting who also takes an interest in the medallion. On the other hand, the ampoules attract the attention of Henri "Cloche" Bondurant (played by Louis Gossett Jr.), a Haitian drug lord who wants to extract the morphine ampoules from the cargo ship and convert them to heroin. David and Gail, with their treasure hunting, stand in the way of such plans and are subjected to a campaign of intimidation.
When The Deep first appeared in cinemas, comparisons with Jaws were inevitable due to Benchley being the author of the novel that served as the basis for Spielberg's film, as well as Robert Shaw in a third starring role. This film is, however, very different, and that becomes apparent at the very beginning, when it becomes clear that it is a "pure" adventure film much closer to those associated with James Bond. Peter Yates, a director best known for the iconic car chase scene in Bullitt, excels in underwater scenes which take up roughly one-third of the film and look quite revolutionary for their time with their successful mix of beauty, excitement and danger. When the action returns to the surface, The Deep isn't that successful due to problems with pacing and a somewhat confusing plot featuring various characters with shifting loyalties and undeveloped motivations. Some of the content at times is almost parodic, like the scene where the villains intimidate Gail by performing a voodoo ritual on her. Problems with the script are, however, saved by attractive locations, good cinematography and more than decent acting. Nick Nolte, in his first starring role, transcends his physical presence and has good chemistry with Jacqueline Bisset, with whom he became romantically involved during production. For Bisset, who was until then known mostly for international and supporting roles, this was a career-changing performance that showed how she too can rise above role limitations, as well as the opening scenes in which she appears wearing a wet T-shirt, to the utmost delight of many in the male audience. The beautiful images are accompanied by another strong and atmospheric musical score by John Barry (including Donna Summer's disco song, which became a great hit), which gives The Deep even more "Bondian" attributes. Despite its flaws, The Deep is a very good piece of entertainment, and its success at the box-office shouldn't be too surprising.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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