Black Sea (2014)
Certified: 15
Duration: 115 minutes
Directed by: Kevin MacDonald
Starring: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Karl Davies, Konstantin Khabensky, Grigoriy Dobrygin, Tobias Menzies, Ben Mendelsohn, Jodie Whittaker, Michael Smiley
KRS Releasing Ltd
Jude Law is Captain Robinson, an ex-navy officer who had spent the last 10 years working for an ocean salvage company. During this time, he learnt a few secrets, one of which is that, in a location under the murky waters of the Black Sea, there is a U-boat from the World War II era which is still filled with gold.
He brings together a team of motley seamen to get hold of this horde using a submarine. Robinson promises the crew that each one will get an equal share.
But soon there is dissent among the ranks. The crew – made up mostly of Russians and British – ends up divided into two factions, with one side playing against the other.
Black Sea, while not challenging the classic Das Boot (1981) for the best submarine movie title, is still a very good yarn.
The director makes best use of the underwater setting to heighten the tension
Kevin MacDonald, who has made such films as The Last King of Scotland (2006) and The Eagle (2011), has expertly crafted a thriller that is hell-bent on keeping the tension button pushed firmly to the max.
The director makes best use of the underwater setting to heighten the tension and to give the film a feeling of weight and claustrophobic atmosphere.
While acknowledging this is a fictional story, very much in the vein of the classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), MacDonald’s film looks realistic and plausible, and this serves to heighten the tension.
Law brings along a sense of deliberation and rugged weariness to his role. This is not the slim, dandy and glamorous actor that graces magazine covers.
MacDonald keeps the film speeding along. There are various sources of tension and the director develops them and gives their openings at suitable moments to keep the audience on edge. He also makes good use of the submarine and we get a glimpse of how difficult it must to be to actually work day in, day out in such an environment.
Classic submarine clichés are inserted and made use of. Yet MacDonald takes great care to keep everything looking not fresh, but suitably weary and rugged in keeping with the characters.
The cinematography style gives the audience a very intimate and immersive viewpoint.
In its own manner, Black Sea is a classic adventure updated to modern times with modern sensibilities and flourish to make it a cracking thriller.