Starring: Kathryn Morris, LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Christian Slater, Eion Bailey, Val Kilmer, Patricia Velasquez, Clifton Collins Jr, Will Kemp
Directed By: Renny Harlin
There’s a really good plot here. I’d absolutely love to remake this movie. I’d have to throw away a lot, but the idea about FBI profilers being caught in a real trap, on a deserted island, could have been so much better if left in the right hands.
Unfortunately, it was left in Renny Harlin’s hands.
I did love Die Hard 2, and Deep Blue Sea is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, but Renny Harlin has a ton of misfires. Basically, once a film is spinning out of control, he has no ability to course correct.
He can’t fix the bad acting, he can’t see that anymore. He doesn’t feel bad dialog. He thinks being given Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, and LL Cool J is a gift.
It’s not.
Some of the traps are cool, and the idea that the traps are set up for their weaknesses is smart. Like I said, great idea, but horribly executed. It’s a notorious film, abandoned by the studio, pushed back on the release calendar for a few years… and now it’s on Netflix for your enjoyment. Or non-enjoyment.
FINAL GRADE: C-
