Perhaps even more than planes, submarines (or similar vehicles) are perfect for thrillers. The idea of being stuck in a few rooms underwater, running out of oxygen, with only a thin steel shell between you and the cold black sea, is inherently suspenseful. I cannot think of a really terrible submarine flick - it takes an impressive lack of talent to waste this scenario.
Pressure is... decent. It does nothing novel, makes a few missteps, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention. Four divers are trapped in a pod at the bottom of the ocean, with only a few hours of oxygen and an ugly dilemma: do they just wait for help (which may or may not be coming), or instead risk their lives (and more oxygen!) to attempt a dangerous escape.
The most interesting character is veteran Engel, played by Danny Huston as someone who is competent but not infallible. Sadly, he is saddled with a rather hackneyed backstory. At first we get brief creepy flashbacks with a young woman covered with blood - it turns out she was his girlfriend (never mind she looks like she could be Huston's teenage daughter) who died in a car crash. Engel then let the other driver (who caused the accident) drown along with his family. Guess who is looking for redemption now? It's overly melodramatic stuff - to make it even more heavy-handed, the kid in the car looks like the youngest crew member, Jones (Joe Cole).
Speaking of Jones, he is involved in another portentous scene, where he hallucinates and sees a naked woman who, mermaid-like, at first kisses him, then bites him viciously. It's fairly silly. The more realistic scenes are better - like when Mitchell (Matthew Goode) finds himself among a swarm of jellyfish.
Of course, Jones reveals his girlfriend is pregnant. What's up with rookies and their partners in submarine movies? The recent Black Sea did the exact same thing. And the young officer in K-19 also obsessed over his girlfriend; Bon Jovi in U- 571 had just been married... It's becoming a bigger cliché than the old cop on his last day of work.
Still, Pressure is watchable. The submarine thriller/drama formula is pretty much foolproof - if not quite waterproof. *drum roll*
6/10
Pressure is... decent. It does nothing novel, makes a few missteps, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention. Four divers are trapped in a pod at the bottom of the ocean, with only a few hours of oxygen and an ugly dilemma: do they just wait for help (which may or may not be coming), or instead risk their lives (and more oxygen!) to attempt a dangerous escape.
The most interesting character is veteran Engel, played by Danny Huston as someone who is competent but not infallible. Sadly, he is saddled with a rather hackneyed backstory. At first we get brief creepy flashbacks with a young woman covered with blood - it turns out she was his girlfriend (never mind she looks like she could be Huston's teenage daughter) who died in a car crash. Engel then let the other driver (who caused the accident) drown along with his family. Guess who is looking for redemption now? It's overly melodramatic stuff - to make it even more heavy-handed, the kid in the car looks like the youngest crew member, Jones (Joe Cole).
Speaking of Jones, he is involved in another portentous scene, where he hallucinates and sees a naked woman who, mermaid-like, at first kisses him, then bites him viciously. It's fairly silly. The more realistic scenes are better - like when Mitchell (Matthew Goode) finds himself among a swarm of jellyfish.
Of course, Jones reveals his girlfriend is pregnant. What's up with rookies and their partners in submarine movies? The recent Black Sea did the exact same thing. And the young officer in K-19 also obsessed over his girlfriend; Bon Jovi in U- 571 had just been married... It's becoming a bigger cliché than the old cop on his last day of work.
Still, Pressure is watchable. The submarine thriller/drama formula is pretty much foolproof - if not quite waterproof. *drum roll*
6/10