Vic van Allen (Ben Affleck) and Melina van Allen (Ana de Armas) are a wealthy couple with a young daughter, struggling in a seemingly loveless relationship, only held together by the bond of marriage and messiness of a potential divorce. Melinda is an attractive and daring woman that insists on pushing the boundaries with multiple affairs, but these infuriate her husband, who begins to take stern action. An unusual thriller that could have been much better than what eventually transpired.
Director: Adrian Lyne
Writers: Zach Helm, Sam Levinson
Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Grace Jenkins
First published in 1957, the novel Deep Water is a psychological thriller written by Patricia Highsmith, with Adrian Lyne directing the big screen adaptation upon its release in March of 2022. Shot and filmed largely in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, it’s fair to say that some critics have labelled this as one of the biggest let downs of the year and it’s probably not a notion I’d disagree with.
On an artistic level, the film was easy on the eye, visually appealing and didn’t overcomplicate itself with unnecessary twists and turns, but sadly the story just didn’t seem to make any real sense, with it lacking any form of realism and injected a vast amount of frustration along the way. With some adjustments to the script and general direction of the flick, I’m sure this could have translated into a very appealing thriller, but sadly that wasn’t to be.
It’s fair to say that the film certainly started better than it finished too, with a solid amount of intrigue and suspense included in the first half, while the second half seemed a little discombobulated and rushed, with the filmmakers not knowing which direction to take, which surprised me, considering the lengthy runtime of one-hundred and fifteen minutes.
In terms of the cast, Ben Affleck starred as Vic van Allen, a man considered by many of his peers as “not very normal”, while it’s worth noting that his character was extremely similar to that of the one played in Gone Girl, the 2014 release. Ana de Armas adopted the role of Melinda van Allen and was convincing in her role. Elsewhere, the support cast was diverse, with Grace Jenkins, Tracy Letts and Finn Wittrock starring as Trixie, Don Wilson and Tony Cameron, respectively.
All in all, Deep Water probably wasn’t the most impressive release of 2022 and at times it provided more frustration than it may have been worth. With some minor tweaks and an injected sense of realism, the film could have been a much better hit. It’s worth noting that Deep Water is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
“If you think I killed Charlie, aren’t you frightened of me?”
Vic – Deep Water
The DC Review Blog - EST. 2020 