Black Sea

As a former submarine sailor I watch every submarine picture that is exhibited. None are exactly as it was or is. Most are a lot of fun to watch. This movie was very good as it entertained and kept you on the edge of your seat. This is a good escape from all the movies that are all explosions, blood and gore, fantasy, and vampire trash. This has a believable storyline even if the FX are a little unbelievable. You should watch this movie and enjoy it. Jude law is surprising in the role of the Capt. and is a great deal different than previous movie roles for him. The clash of personalities adds to the excitement through danger and mechanical malfunctions.

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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"I know a way to not be like this. I know a way to get money." Captain Robinson (Law) is a submarine captain who has just been told he is no longer needed. When he tells his crew about this they are wondering what the next step in their lives will be. The idea comes up about trying to salvage a sunken sub full of Nazi gold and they agree to look for it. What starts off as a way to make money becomes something so much more. This is a movie that I can not do justice to in a review. The movie is nothing amazing and is not a classic but this is one of the biggest surprises I have seen in a while. I was sucked in right away and was interested and intrigued all the way until the end, which seemed to come almost too soon. This movie takes all the great aspects of a heist movie and moves the setting to a claustrophobic submarine. I could go on about how much I liked this movie but I will just say this is one you have to see to understand. I recommend this. Overall, nothing that will win awards or become a classic, but it was entertaining and very much worth your time. I really enjoyed this. I give it a B+.

Three reasons to watch Black Sea:

1) if you are interested in U-Boats this works for you 100%.

2) if you are a Jude Law fan then you will see one of his best performances so far. In fact he played the role as a hungry captain brilliantly and credibly.

It could have been honored even for an Oscar worthy role.

3) it offers entertaining value mixed with drama, adventure and submarine details.

I liked this movie cause it's damn dramatic with a touch of adventure.

The running time is okay and the special effects in the submarine are well done. The director Kevin Macdonald made a good a job with this story based on true events.

It merits a solid 6.5/10 that matches nearly the rating of 6.4 of IMDb.

If you like U-Boat movies don't miss K-19 with Harrison Ford, Killer Hunter with Gerard Butler or Red October with Sean Connery.

Robinson (Jude Law) is laid off from his salvage company, but learns about a German sub deep in the Black Sea that is loaded with gold from WWII. Robinson gets the funding, an old Russian sub and a crew of 12 consisting of Russians and English to go after the gold.

All of the above sounds really good, but here's the thing: the crew members don't like or trust each other and tensions rise. Here is what I didn't understand: most were out of work and readily available to search for the gold. Yet, they acted like this was business as usual and would have liked it if some members were killed off and that would mean more money for them. Did someone say "greed." Robinson did say that all members would receive an equal share and this message was good and understood, by all, for about 20-seconds.

The Russians spoke Russian and Robinson needed translations. Why not let the Russians speak English as we sometimes hear in movies? I mean if the translations were deceptive, then I could understand their speaking Russian, but there were no deceptions. See?

One more thing: they hit something that breaks their drive shaft and they see the German sub and need to get that drive shaft to be able to move. Three go out with limited air supply in their tanks to retrieve the drive shaft and once inside the German sub, they discover the gold. Now here's the thing: a winch materializes out of nowhere to move the gold and the drive shaft. There is no talk of limited air supply and all work together to get the winch to move the gold and the drive shaft in the sea bed mud. Limited air supply indeed !

Then comes the big twist. I truly forgot there would be a twist. Hey, it happens. And it happened because I was so engaged in this tension-filled story, but there it was. Bummer.

The acting and tension all around were so good I felt as though I was on that sub, too, and yes, I was looking over my shoulder every 10-seconds like everyone else in these cramped quarters.

There are some holes in here, but this is still a good sub story. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.