Deep Water ** (2022, Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas) – Movie Review

Adrian Lyne returns to directing after a 20-year absence since Unfaithful (2002) for the 2022 erotic psychological thriller film Deep Water, based on the 1957 novel by Patricia Highsmith. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas star – and they have the film more or less to themselves, though several other actors appear in minor supporting roles: Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, Dash Mihok, Finn Wittrock, Kristen Connolly, and Jacob Elordi.

It is hard to know what was expected here, but a lot more, I guess. Highsmith’s novel is one of her ‘most brilliant analyses of psychosis in American suburbia’, but you’d hardly know that from this film. You get an inkling of it, but only a distant reflection.

The film is smooth and quite compelling, conscientiously done, but curiously underpowered and undynamic. Crucially, it lacks sufficient suspense and credibility. After about 15 minutes, you want to give up and turn it off, but something keeps you watching, and you do feel you need to keep in there till the bitter end.

Vic and Melinda Van Allen are a couple with a small daughter, Trixie, locked into a loveless open marriage. Melinda can apparently take any number of lovers but Vic grows increasingly jealous. Vic scares off her latest lover, young musician Joel Dash, by telling him that he murdered her previous boyfriend, Martin McRae, raising the suspicions of local writer Don Wilson (Tracy Letts).

Affleck is uncomfortably cast as Vic, described by Highsmith as ’36 years old, of a little less than medium height, inclined to a general firm rotundity’. Affleck is just coming up to 50, exceedingly tall, and very fit. He is a good actor though, and can manage his character’s move from ‘lopsided determination’ to humour effortlessly, and creepily. He feels dangerous. You would not want to mess with Affleck’s Vic, yet most of the film’s male characters do.

Ana de Armas is also uncomfortably cast as Melinda. At 34, she seems much too young for Affleck, though she does suggest why he might be weirdly obsessed with her. Her character here is totally unsympathetic and infuriating. Why would any man, even a psycho, put up with her and her shenanigans for five minutes? Why should we be interested in her. This remains the film’s main mystery, but it isn’t supposed to be. OK she’s enigmatic, a femme fatale of sorts, but a real pain, no more than the local posh scrubber.

Even that guaranteed turn Tracy Letts is way less effective than usual, struggling even, while Dash Mihok as Jonas Fernandez and Lil Rel Howery as Grant, both Vic’s loyal buddies, are lost as the film’s possibly intended comedy relief. The poor actors playing the lovers are just there to get scared off or killed off, and having unrewarding, unforgiving roles.

Talking of local, Lyne comes up with an alluring local location, and makes plenty of it, with notable cinematography by Eigil Bryld. The film’s surface is good, attractive and alluring, selling lifestyle, and pulling you into the story. It is set in the small town of Little Wesley, Louisiana, and filming began in New Orleans on 4 November 2019. How picturesque it all looks! The film’s technical credits are strong, with a nice score by Marco Beltrami, and a well-chosen soundtrack.

The uninspired screenplay is by Zach Helm and Sam Levinson.

Deep Water was scheduled to be released on November 13, 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic was delayed to August 13, 2021, and again to January 14, 2022. On December 9, 2021, it was taken off the release schedule. It was then released on Disney’s streaming service Hulu in the US on March 18, 2022 and on Amazon Prime Video for a simultaneous international release.

For a small film, no more than a TV movie really, it had a huge budget of $48.9 million. Those hoping for another quality psychological thriller like Affleck’s Gone Girl (2014) are likely to be disappointed. Maybe part of the trouble is that they have gone more for an erotic thriller than a psychological thriller, and not delivered enough on either front.

The film took years to get to the public, starting in 2013, financed by Fox 2000 Pictures, who sold the rights to New Regency in 2018. In August 2019 it was back in a go situation, in production at Disney’s 20th Century Studios, but unreleased till 2022 nearly a decade after the project began development.

The novel was previously adapted in France in 1981 by director Michel Deville as the film Eaux Profondes [Deep Water], relocating it to Jersey, Channel Islands. Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as Vic, with Isabelle Huppert as Melinda, renamed Melanie.

The cast are Ben Affleck as Vic, Ana de Armas as Melinda, Tracy Letts as Don Wilson, Grace Jenkins as Trixie, Dash Mihok as Jonas Fernandez, Rachel Blanchard as Kristin Peterson, Kristen Connolly as Kelly Wilson, Jacob Elordi as Charlie De Lisle, Lil Rel Howery as Grant, Brendan C Miller as Joel Dash, Jade Fernandez as Jen Fernandez, Finn Wittrock as Tony Cameron, Michael Braun as Jeff Peterson, Devyn Tyler as Mary Washington, Michael Scialabba as Kevin Washington, Jeff Pope as Chief Nichols, Paul Teal as Deputy Clark, Juliet Brett as babysitter Chelsea, Damon Lipari as Carlyle, Joel R Martinez as David Ricigliani, and Jaren Mitchell as John.

The films of Adrian Lyne: Foxes (1980), Flashdance (1983), 9½ Weeks (1986), Fatal Attraction (1987), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), Indecent Proposal (1993), Lolita (1997), Unfaithful (2002), Deep Water (2022).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Movie Review

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