Black Sea – Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

Submarine captain Robinson (Law) is unexpectedly fired from his job at a marine salvage company. After meeting with some of his friends he learns of an investor willing to finance an expedition to find a horde of gold bars on a sunken Nazi U-Boat at the bottom of the Black Sea. Robinson gathers a group of Scotsmen and the Russians he needs to run the sub and sets off for the wreck. Tensions between the men rise until there is an accident in the engine room that sends the sub to the bottom. After finding the U-Boat, the men recover the gold and a needed engine part. Now they must decide whether to try and evade the Russian Navy or simply give up the treasure and survive.

Commentary

On the surface this movie sounds like it would be very predictable. Men of questionable character work together to find a treasure. They fight amongst themselves and bad stuff happens. But there is a lot more going on than my synopsis indicates. There were some cool plot twists that I didn’t see coming. A few moments won’t surprise most viewers but the film turned out to be much better than I expected and I would watch it again.

The acting from all cast members is superb, especially Jude Law who plays the red-neck Scotsman to a T. I’ve never heard him speak in such a brogue before but you’d think he’s really from Scotland if you’d never heard his usual high-brow accent. I also enjoyed watching his character’s internal debate between going for the treasure or saving his men’s lives. Captain Robinson is a natural leader and even the most jaded of the men respect him.

I’ve always been a fan of submarine films and this one is the first to completely eschew the military element. Nevertheless it will take a well-earned place in my library with such movies as Crimson Tide and U-571; highly recommended.

Technical

The image is razor-sharp with deep consistent contrast and dark rich blacks. There is no clipping and even dimly-lit scenes are loaded with detail. Undersea shots are never murky though I did see occasional banding. Color on land has either a green or blue tint giving the material a somewhat gritty appearance. Once in the sub, everything takes on a nice warm hue appropriate to the incandescent lighting.

Submarine movies provide sound mixers with plenty of opportunities to use super-low bass effects and this film does not squander it. Early on a sub passes from front to rear and you feel the rumble as if you are lashed to the bow. I couldn’t help but thank my jumbo sub with its 800-watt amplifier and twin 12-inch drivers; and you will too when you use the clip as a demo for your friends. Dialog and other sound effects are delivered with equal excellence and clarity.

Extras

Bonus features consist of a five-minute short on the development of the film and audio commentary with director Kevin Macdonald. You also get previews of six upcoming Universal Blu-ray releases.