Black Sea Review
by: Carl Cottingham
edited by: Anthony Zangrillo
Never mix Brits and Russians on a submarine; you won’t live to regret it.
Crackling with claustrophobic tension and bouts of sudden violence, Black Sea follows the ill-fated journey of Robinson (Jude Law), a disgruntled submarine captain. Recently divorced and laid-off from his salvaging firm, he is informed by a friend about the existence of a Nazi submarine rumored to be filled with gold lying at the bottom of the Black Sea. Hoping to get back at his ex-employer and make it rich, Robinson gathers a crew and an old Soviet submarine in order to locate and retrieve the gold. Robins gains these resources thanks to help from a shadowy benefactor.
Submarine films are an admittedly derivative sub-genre of thrillers. This type of film limits the creative team’s options, capturing the required level of tension through use of a leaky engine room. The premise also stays true to the genre, as a ragtag group of men seek treasure. Accordingly, betrayals, double crosses, and corpses predictably ensue. With that being said, the film is indeed a very tense and taut production. The film invokes pure and unbridled tension, once you realize that the first half-hour is a farewell to sun and dry land. A certain sense of dread will overcome the viewer, as it becomes clear that the old submarine could break apart at any moment. The impending image of doom dawns on the audiences through the utilization of constant creaks, leaks, and whirls from the pipes and the engine.
Law portrays a man at the end of his rope, a man who has dedicated everything to his profession before being unceremoniously thrown away like the trash that his higher-ups perceive him to be. As such, the film showcases a man hell-bent on attaining something for all of his troubles. This desire wills his character to dive to the depths of the ocean. Robinson commands a powerful presence within this pressure-cooker environment, even as he seems to lose his sanity in the pursuit of Nazi gold. Scoot McNairy portrays a worm of an assistant to the benefactor forced to come along on the journey to make sure the operation runs smoothly. I will not discuss any character development detail, but it is fascinating to watch this character slowly resort to actions that would have been abhorrent to him only mere days ago.
Black Sea doesn’t suffer from any major criticisms save for the fact of its genre’s limitations. Submarine film are inherently limited in the course of their narratives. Likewise, the story follows the tried and true formula of the zealous treasure pursuit, leading to a predictable ending. I will admit that I have very little experience with director Kevin Macdonald’s filmography. His most notable film is The Last King of Scotland but the only film that I’ve seen from him was State of Play back in 2009. Still, I did find myself greatly enjoying the pure, unbridled tension that permeates this film. It may be derivative to a degree but Jude Law definitely makes the film tense, yet enjoyable.
