“Black Sea” opens with a montage of haunting images from the not too distant past – photos of infamous World War 2 dictators Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin dispersed with various military pictures and shots of the cold ocean waters of the world. What the 2014 Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland“) film does is tell a gripping tale; blending modest action, a plausible plot with a breathtaking atmosphere, and the anxiety that accompanies anyone cooped up in the bowels of a submarine, thousands of feet below the surface of the water.
Jude Law plays Robinson, a marine scavenger and Navy submarine Captain who, due to budget cuts and the advancement of technology, is forced into early retirement at the start of the film. There’s just something about a hardened militant being told to clear his desk by a young Millennial punk in a shirt and tie that I hope the viewer can appreciate. You will be rooting for Robinson from the opening scene on, and that’s the way it should be.
To exact revenge on a system that has wronged them, Robinson takes charge of a secret mission to locate a German U-Boat that sunk in 1941. The vessel, now resting somewhere on the floor of the Black Sea, is said to contain an immense fortune worth of gold.
Robinson assembles a crew worthy of the voyage – salt battered seamen with thick beards, shaved heads, knuckle tattoos, and attire suitable for the lifestyle. The cold atmosphere of the Ukraine Port of Sevastopol is magnificently captured by the grey skies and the makeup of Robinson’s crew. You’ll smell the salty air right through your television set as the men board the submarine.
“Black Sea” does little to develop the characters on board the sub, save for Robinson, and that’s okay. The story is told from his perspective and Jude Law is a perfect fit for the role. The Academy Award nominee will become one of your favorite actors after seeing this performance.
Through flashbacks we see Robinson’s marriage and family life deteriorate at the hands of his career. It gives a perfect buildup of understanding as to why he harbors such animosity after being “relieved of his duty” through no fault of his own. No first name is ever given. Captain Robinson is simply a pawn in a much larger scheme.
The only prospect more terrifying than boarding an old boat for a deep sea adventure is boarding an old sub. Through secrecy, Robinson and his crew commandeer a relic of a submarine that looks like it would be better suited in a museum than cruising through the choppy waters of the Black Sea.
Parts and equipment are sub par at best, and the emergency radio barely works at all – which doesn’t really matter since they can’t use it anyway for fear of the Russian Navy finding out. As the sub prepares to dive for the first time, Robinson takes one last look up at the sky in admiration and wonderment, his vibes beckoning the question of will he ever see the world above the water again.
The mounting tension between the crew members on board the sub begins from the moment they embark on the trek. The language barrier between the crew – half English and half Russian, is only the beginning.
When the crew members figure out that the profits of the find will increase if there are fewer survivors to split it with, the fear is set into place. The perfect thing about tensions on board a submarine is that there isn’t anywhere else they can go. Robinson is forced to take control of the men, a seemingly impossible situation.
Director Kevin Macdonald does a masterful job of building suspense. One scene depicting a crew of divers exiting the sub on the floor of the Black Sea is particularly creepy and so well done you’ll watch with a pit the size of a fist in your belly. There’s just something perfectly terrifying about being in deep water – and the ordeal is displayed to perfection in the scene.
There’s no music or sound, and the only light comes from the faint flickering of the flashlights the divers are carrying. As one of the crew members explains, outside of the submarine is dark, cold, and death. It gets a man thinking he’s gonna f**king die.
“Black Sea” is a thrilling movie. Its fast paced and filled with tension. The story is somewhat common, but the locale and the performance of Jude Law are outstanding.
by – Matt Christopher
