IR Film Review: DEEP WATER [Hulu]
The intention of any thriller is based on the aspects of the motivations of the characters. It also specifically depends on who is telling the story. Director Adrian Lyne who hasn't directed a movie since "Unfaithful" in 2002 was the undisputed king of the sexual thriller because he liked his stories to always end with a bit of ambiguity. His latest which got switched to Hulu after being a previous 20th Century Title is not for the Disney brand but it is the kind of film that Arnon Milchan's New Regency was great and is great at making but it is in that weird space where it is not an indie and not a blockbuster. It also was the film that Ana De Armas and Ben Affleck met on whose aftermath per se played out during the pandemic via the paparazzi so that definitely adds a perspective.
"Deep Water" is based on a Patricia Highsmith novel. And while it is not "Ripley" it does have characters who both have secrets but also make decisions for their own reasons. Armas and Affleck play a married couple separated by time, instinct and place in life. Her character wants to push his buttons and does it very cruelly in an attempt to gain a structure of power in a situation where he is the successful one. She's the trophy wife but she has her own reasons to doing what she does. Affleck's character at the other point has a reaction and the key is walking the line between what is passion, what is a game and what turns dark in the human heart.
Lyne's "Indecent Proposal" played with this concept too in that "it is fun until it is not". "Water" is definitely your kind of movie if you like this genre but it is the type of movie that doesn't come along that much anymore and is made by a master who is taking his approach and working with effective actors in this time period compared to say 20 or 30 years ago. (Harrelson & Moore in "Indecent Proposal" in 93, Basinger & Rourke in "9 1/2 Weeks in 84 and Lane & Martinez in "Unfaithful in 02). Some directors lose their touch but Lyne still knows how to get good performances out of all his actors despite perhaps bordering on melodrama. But as long as it is true to the characters, that is what life is. B+
By Tim Wassberg
