Adrian Lyne, the director of films such as Jacob’s Ladder and Fatal Attraction, returns with his first directorial effort in 20 years in Deep Water. This erotic psychological thriller stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a married couple in the town of Little Wesley. They have fallen out of love with each other but have kept their marriage alive with an agreement that Melinda may take any lovers she desires. This agreement soon leads to disastrous consequences for everyone involved.
It’s not often that we get an erotic thriller with two A-list stars front and center. As such, Deep Water feels like a novelty with its old-fashioned simplicity, and it works pretty well for what it is aiming for. This is not an excellent film, nor is it a disaster; this is one of those films that hits the sweet spot of a movie that has the good, the bad, and the attractive.
Our film opens with Vic and Melinda leaving their young daughter with a babysitter as they attend a house party. Everything about this couple seems normal until Vic spots Melinda kissing another man. Vic watches and doesn’t bat an eye. The opening at the party establishes their fascinating dynamic and the unspoken agreement that has allowed Melinda to engage in this type of behavior. The screenplay, written by Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction) and Sam Levinson (Euphoria), does a fine job of putting the characters in exciting places and having Vic say things where you can’t tell if he is being truthful or not.
The movie has moments where we get a look at what their marriage used to be, and it makes their current situation more fascinating as you wonder why they have decided to stay together and how they are sustaining this relationship. You can see Vic’s restrained jealousy throughout a lot of the film during the excellent moments of tension as there are deliberate choices in the film’s dialogue where you feel the former passion turned sour between the two lovers.
At times, it can feel like a spiritual successor to Gone Girl, with the complexity of Affleck’s broken relationship and the tendency to push the characters into dark places. Don’t get me wrong; this movie is nowhere near the quality of David Fincher’s work. The film’s shared star and similar tone will gather well-deserved comparisons. Deep Water is a more trashy, fast-food version of what Gone Girl was, and that’s not without its merits. Affleck and Armas provide excellent performances in a film that takes advantage of their talents.
This is an erotic thriller light on the erotic and light on the thrills. At times, the story can run out of steam and become a bit one-note, offering a few twists and turns but not nearly enough to be satisfying. It’s a somewhat unoriginal take on a thriller with a mishandled, anticlimactic final act. However, the movie is never dull, offering an exciting tale that is not afraid to go to dark places. Deep Water is far from the best movie you’ll see all year, but it has just enough gas in its tank to drive you to press play and keep you from exiting until the credits roll.
SCORE: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience
