Black Sea - B

Rated R, 115 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Tense submarine thriller "Black Sea" goes to the depths of suspense

There's just something about the close, tight quarters of submarines that tend to make for intense movies: "Das Boot," "U571" and "Crimson Tide" among them. Add the new British thriller "Black Sea" from Oscar-winning director Kevin McDonald ("The Last King of Scotland") and starring Jude Law. Suspenseful and entertaining, it doesn't work perfectly but well enough for a satisfying character-driven action film. The story centers on a rogue submarine captain (Law) who pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival. Directed by McDonald and written by British stage and TV writer Dennis Kelly, "Black Sea" is a tense, efficiently made, dark and well-acted drama that provides a handful of well-staged, breathless moments, particularly in the last act. Law, a dashing leading man who looks considerably older here, is convincing as the driven, off-kilter captain who'll do anything for some gold and to better himself. He headlines a fine supporting cast of mostly familiar character actors, including the always-good (and native Dallasite) Scoot McNairy ("Argo") as a real slimeball, Australian actor Ben Mendelshon and British actor Karl Davies, the most memorable of the crew members. Not everything works perfectly, though: the initial chapters are a tad slow, and the climax, considering the lead character's desire to become a better person, is a tad anti-climactic and even predictable. Even with its flaws, the powerful submarine thriller "Black Sea" is an action film that's still worthwhile, and a nice change of pace for the cinematic dumping ground that is known as January.