Deep Rising

Deep Rising, A motley group of heavily armed hijackers along with the scrappy crew of a boat for hire board a luxury cruise ocean liner with the specific intention of looting it only to discover that their plans have been thwarted by bloodthirsty sea monsters.

Writer/director Stephen Sommers brings an immensely enjoyable and engaging Grade B trash pulp sensibility to the delightfully outrageous premise, maintains a breathless brisk pace throughout, delivers oodles of gloriously excessive over-the-top gore, and stages the exciting and explosive action with rip-roaring aplomb. Moreover, it’s acted with considerable gusto by a game cast: Treat Williams makes for a fine macho hero as rugged boat captain John Finnegan, Famke Janssen projects a winning blend of sass and sexiness to her role of slinky thief Trillion St. James, Anthony Heald smarms it up well as greedy and selfish sniveling coward Simon Canton, and Kevin J. O’Connor provides amusing comic relief as bumbling engineer Joey Pantucci, plus there are sturdy contributions from Wes Studi as ruthless mercenary Hanover, Derrick O’Conner as the dashing Captain Atherton, Cliff Curtis as the horny Mamooli, Trevor Goddard as aggressive Aussie T. Ray, Djimon Hounsou as the fearsome Vivo, Clifton Powell as the smooth Mason, and Una Damon as the spunky Leila. Jerry Goldsmith’s spirited score hits the stirring spot. Howard Atherton’s slick widescreen cinematography gives this picture a pleasing glossy sheen. The CGI beasts look pretty gnarly. An absolute blast.