Plot
In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 6.8/10 (814 voted)
Critic's Score: 61/100
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn
Storyline
In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
Cast: Jude Law -
Captain Robinson
Jodie Whittaker -
Chrissy
Ben Mendelsohn -
Fraser
Scoot McNairy -
Daniels
Tobias Menzies -
Lewis
Paulina Boneva -
Job Center Worker
Grigoriy Dobrygin -
Morozov
David Threlfall -
June Smith -
Woman in black in bar
Michael Smiley -
Reynolds
Konstantin Khabenskiy -
Blackie
Daniel Ryan -
Kurston
Karl Davies -
Liam
Branwell Donaghey -
Gittens
Paul Terry -
Dog Walker
Country: UK, USA, Russia
Language: English
Release Date: 23 January 2015
Filming Locations: Copse Manor, Virginia Water, Surrey, UK
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The Submarine used for filming is called the Black Widow. It is an old Soviet sub moored in the River Medway at Strood, Kent. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 5/10
As submarine movies go, Black Sea is probably the best one this year.
That it may be the only one certainly helps. Kevin McDonald (The Eagle,
The Last King of Scotland) has delivered a Boy's Own adventure under
the sea that is part thriller, part drama and could easily have been a
Desmond Bagley novel forty years ago. And that's no bad thing.
When submarine pilot Captain Robinson (Jude Law) is made redundant, he
seeks solace in the company of a pint and some former colleagues. One
of them mentions a missing German U-boat that was lost in the Second
World War, laden with gold bullion from Russia, Robinson sets a plan in
motion to seize the gold and end their financial woes. With an investor
in place, a rusted submarine and a motley crew comprised equally of
Brits and Russians, Robinson heads into the depths of the Black Sea for
a deep water heist, but a tin can filled with greedy, desperate,
jealous men doesn't bode well…
There is nothing remarkable about Black Sea. It lacks the tension of
Das Boot, doesn't rewrite history quite as horribly as U571 and doesn't
quite hit the (dated) adventure of The Hunt for Red October, but it is
an enjoyable romp of angst, betrayal and underhand tactics that fills
an evening quite adequately.
Screenwriter Dennis Kelly (Utopia) either doesn't understand the law of
physics or has decided to bend them anyway but the screenplay rattles
along quite nicely, building the drama, adding the odd explosive scene
and even managing one or two very funny quips. He establishes a crew of
embittered men on opposing sides without making any of them too much of
a caricature. There are a few missing beats and some clunks as logic
and reason tumble down the gangway but, for the most part, Black Sea
holds the attention and entertains. There is little to surprise but, as
long as the viewer isn't too bothered by historical or scientific
accuracy, there is nothing to really disappoint.
Jude Law makes for an enjoyable, grizzled hero though he isn't given
enough to add depth to his character. The soft flashbacks and memories
of his estranged wife and son are intended to add meat to his bones but
there isn't enough in them to make us really care and they are more
distracting than affecting. We understand and care more about Tobin's
(Bobby Schofield) emotional predicament through a brief exchange
between captain and junior than the entirety of flashbacks from
Robinson.
Black Sea has the feel of a movie dumped on the world because it is too
light to feature in the summer blockbusters, too small (of budget) to
compete against Hollywood's big studio flicks and doesn't even pretend
to have any merit when it comes to awards season. For a low budget
British adventure thriller it serves perfectly well on a cold, damp,
winter's evening for a certain type of cinemagoer who is already sick
of the barrage of Christmas schmaltz and family fare at the multiplex.
If you want entertainment with a smidgen of mystery, a dollop of action
and a hint of thrills, Black Sea does the job adequately.
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