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A DVD Review of...
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Images (C) Dimension Films, 2002 |
Genre: Drama
Cast: Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Davis, Olivia Williams, Holt McCallany, Scott Foley
Synopsis: Directed by David Twohy ("The Arrival", "Pitch Black"). As the crew of the WW2 submarine USS Tiger Shark heads across the Atlantic for its homeport in Connecticut, the crew is ordered to take on three survivors of a torpedoed British hospital ship. To the shock of the men, the refugees include a female nurse, who reminds them of the age-old fable that a woman on a submarine brings bad luck. Indeed, bad luck ensues, as the sub finds itself unable to surface, putting everyone at risk of oxygen deprivation. Making matters worse, the alluring new passenger begins to ask probing questions about a recent death aboard the sub whilst apparitions, disturbing noises and spontaneous accidents begin to plague the journey home. The chain of command breaks down, as does the men's courage and certainty, until absolute chaos reigns in the tight spaces of the boat..
Film Review: After two very successful and well made genre releases with "The Arrival" and "Pitch Black", Director
David Twohy changes genre from sci-fi to a more supernatural oriented claustrophobic thriller which whilst sadly lacking the
budget and visual trickery of his earlier work, still manages to build a creepily effective atmosphere with a likable
cast and intriguing concept. Sadly though the execution never quites lives up to the idea that it sets out to achieve in the first place, probably due to its very internal nature which leads to all sorts of confusion as to what's going on or where.
Greenwood, Davis, Foley have all done better work elsewhere than here though its Olivia Williams as the female passenger, and Holt McCallany as the first officer who pretty much dominate the performances as the most shall we say 'sane' members
of the cast. Despite it being a character-driven movie, this really isn't a showcase for performances but rather sequences
and situations which in themselves are pulled off well even if they never fully gel together. The eventual plot twists in regards to the captain's death never really works but thankfully its kept towards the end. The scares may seem a little mundane at first but do get quite effective as things move on.
The sound scape and use of silence are very effective in adding to the mood and Twohy could definitely teach the likes of Jan De Bont the use of sound and imagination to portray creepiness rather than cheesy visuals. The cinematographer skillfully keeps things effectively real and well spaced. Sub dramas are difficult to pull off although when they work (ala "The Hunt for Red October") they can be genius, but when they don't ("K-19: The Widowmaker") they can become quite tedious. This sits somewhere in the middle, and while it lacks say the pace or visual splendor of the fun but empty "U-571", it still makes for far more interesting subject matter. - Garth Franklin
"Below"
DVD Details In Brief (Region 1)
Rating: R
Runtime: 105mins
Versions: 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen, 4:3 Letterboxed
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Language & Sub-Titles: English
Audio: Commentary Track by Director David Twohy and
actors Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Davis, Nick Chinlund,
Zach Galifianakis & Hold McCallany.
Documentaries: "The Process" Featurette
Clips: Deleted Scenes (with commentary), Trailer
Region 1 vs. Region 4: No R4 Available |
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DVD Review: One of last year's better and quieter releases, the David Twohy-directed haunted sub thriller
comes to disc and whilst its theatrical run was somewhat short changed, Dimension seems to have put in an effort
for its home video turn. This is a film with lots of dark/poor lighting conditions and claustrophobic sets,
yet the transfer renders it all perfectly. Colour, blacks and detail levels are spot on, even the slightest
difficulties of contrast or grain could've spoiled the whole film but none of them emerge - in fact detail level
is so high and lighting so beautifully done that the DVD looks even better than it did at the movies. The audio
is also effectively creepy with use of well choreographed sound effects and silence to present a tense atmosphere.
The commentary track is a hoot, the cast just all have a lot of fun with the material and whilst Twohy will interject
with the odd good piece of technical data, for the most part its light and loose laughs. There's also three deleted scenes in decent quality rough video (with completed FX and music) including scenes of the
crew swapping creepy stories, a rather tense malfunctioning torpedo sequence, and an attempt to signal for help.
The 12-minute featurette entitled "The Process" is a rather well put together piece including interviews, on-set video
at Pinewood, script page slideshows, animatics, storyboards and other material to create something that thankfully bucks
the usual trend for these pieces. A very well made piece. To close the set there's the trailer for this and other Dimension films. This was a movie that got overlooked by a lot of people in theatres, but its
definitely one to see for fans of dark or creepy genre movies. - Garth Franklin
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