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Deep Blue Sea
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Deep Blue Sea (1999) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   39,415 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 18% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Renny Harlin
Writers (WGA):
Duncan Kennedy (written by) and
Donna Powers (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Deep Blue Sea on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 July 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner. more
Plot:
Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(55 articles)
‘12 Rounds’ DVD Giveaway - Winners!
 (From Screen Rant. 3 July 2009, 8:15 PM, PDT)

Five Favourite Films with Renny Harlin
 (From Rotten Tomatoes. 29 May 2009, 2:42 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Not that "Deep", Just fun more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Thomas Jane ... Carter Blake
Saffron Burrows ... Dr. Susan McCallister

LL Cool J ... Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley

Michael Rapaport ... Tom "Scoggs" Scoggins

Stellan Skarsgård ... Jim Whitlock

Samuel L. Jackson ... Russell Franklin

Jacqueline McKenzie ... Janice Higgins
Aida Turturro ... Brenda Kerns

Cristos ... Boat Captain
Daniel Rey ... Helicopter Pilot (as Daniel Bahimo Rey)
Valente Rodriguez ... Helicopter Co-Pilot

Brent Roam ... Helicopter Winch Operator

Eyal Podell ... Boy #1

Erinn Bartlett ... Girl #1
Dan Thiel ... Boy #2 - Kevin Crawford
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for graphic shark attacks, and for language.
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
USA | Australia
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Preacher's description of Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity (Tom Scoggins: "I spent four years at CalTech, and that's the best physics explanation I've ever heard.") is adapted from a quote by Einstein himself: "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity." more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Numerous scenes reveal sharks as computer animations due to motions that simply are not possible under water. more
Quotes:
Russell Franklin: Hey, an AGA mask! Did some wreck diving in one of these off the coast of Spain. Tourist thing, you know. You like wreck diving?
Carter Blake: It's okay.
Russell Franklin: Come on, I bet you're really good at it!
Carter Blake: We're on the water. Whole cat-and-mouse thing don't float. You're the man, right?
Russell Franklin: Yeah. Yeah, I'm the man.
Carter Blake: Well, the man's always got a file. What's it say?
Russell Franklin: Two years, Leavenworth, smuggling.
Carter Blake: How'd you make your money? You're the first rich guy in history who's squeaky-clean?
Russell Franklin: You do understand my concern, right?
Carter Blake: Look, I got a workable deal here. I don't make waves, I meet the terms of my parole. I'm not out to change the world like the doc, and I'm not out to wreck it either.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Psych: Tuesday the 17th (#3.15)" (2009) more
Soundtrack:
I Can See Clearly Now more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
33 out of 41 people found the following comment useful:-
Not that "Deep", Just fun, 27 July 1999
Author: Brian Orndorf from Minneapolis

"Deep Blue Sea"

With "Die Hard 2", "Cliffhanger", the misunderstood "Cutthroat Island", the underrated "Long Kiss Goodnight" and guilty pleasure (but pretty damn good) "Adventures Of Ford Fairlane", Renny Harlin has proven himself time and again as one of the most visually competent action directors around. I've always stood behind his work, I sincerely love most of his movies. With "Deep Blue Sea", Harlin is in the midst of trying to keep his career going due to the low box office take of his previous films. The result is a movie that's on autopilot. An attempt to reclaim the respect of the studios and the audience with a slam-bang summer film that gets the job done easily, you just won't respect it in the morning.

Maybe the largest problem in "Deep Blue" is the casting. Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane lead the cast that also includes Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, and Michael Rapaport. Both Burrows and Jane give what can only be described as seriously lacking performances. As the members of a science and research team in a state-of-the-art ocean facility off the coast of Baja, Mexico, the crew is in the midst of a study on sharks. The sharks hold the key to a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease and other brain dysfunctions(explained more thoroughly in the trailer for the film than in the actual film). The scientists have enlarged the brain of the beasts, making them smarter and faster. When a corporate executive (Jackson) arrives for a tour of the facility, the sharks begin an uprising that threatens the crew's very existence. Out in the middle of nowhere, the team tries to survive both the sharks and the sinking structure.

Saffron Burrows is just the wrong choice for the lead scientist role. Her British monotone ruined a bad film ("Wing Commander") and brought down a good one ("The Loss Of Sexual Innocence"). I don't believe she has that much talent besides her beauty, and her lethargic presence here directly conflicts with the high-octane action that surrounds her. Thomas Jane on the other hand, was good in the role of Dirk Diggler's drug-dealing friend in "Boogie Nights". He seemed more alive in 30 minutes of screen time in that film than all 95 minutes of "Deep Blue Sea". I'm a bit surprised that nobody mentioned the lack of enthusiasm during filming. For the lead role, the film needed someone who can burst off the screen with fury and charm. Jane has neither. He leaves the film all wet.

Saying that "Deep Blue Sea" needed better acting might be stretching it a bit. This is a action film with plenty of thrills and many explosions. You cannot expect Shakespeare when you buy a ticket to this. Still, the script credited to three writers is very weak(I assume large parts of the story were cut for time) and the score by Trevor Rabin is the blandest, most perfunctory music to hit the ears in a long time. Hopes were really high for this, but all the bad parts add up quickly.

Harlin's specialty is the action sequence. He's one of the few directors left who knows how to squeeze the audience just right. "Deep Blue" is filled with wonderful suspense sequences and a genuine amount of anxiety. The computer-generated sharks move with alarming speed and dexterity. They keep the patrons on their toes. I cannot remember the last time I heard an audience scream with fear. Harlin milks every moment for the most thrills. I was very tense throughout the film. Rare for a guy as jaded as me.

The comparison to "Jaws" is very unfortunate. Just because the film features sharks doesn't immediately suggest a "Jaws" ripoff. We have had about 10 high school films with interchangeable plots and identical climaxes, yet nobody bats an eye over that. "Deep Blue Sea" stands alone with it's rousing thrills and deeply undernourished script. "Jaws" it ain't.

It's hot and the summer is about 3/4 of the way through. Escapism with "Eyes Wide Shut" or "Blair Witch Project" is impossible. "Deep Blue Sea" feeds the good old need of action, action, and more action. It's summer entertainment in the highest order, and damn it, the thing works. Hopefully Harlin can rebound in the future with better material. For now, this is the best source of thrills for the summer. ---------- 7

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