“Dangerous Waters”: fun, with nothing new beneath the surface Cinemax
I like survival movies, especially when the protagonists are trying to stay alive in the middle of the ocean. After all, it is the most threatening environment there is. Heroes can fight dangerous animals (like giant sharks or piranhas), forces of nature (including storms), monsters, murderous pirates, and sometimes even just violent “ordinary” people. When I went to see “Dangerous Waters” without much prior information about it, besides knowing that it was a survival film, I wondered what the danger was in the middle of the ocean, and more importantly, will we be able to define this film even as a horror film, or just a thriller, an action film or something?
After an hour and a half of a reasonably enjoyable, if not without its problems, thriller, it’s still difficult for me to find a definitive answer to these questions. The gist of the criticism is that “Dangerous Waters” wasn’t too memorable. Still, thanks to an impressive performance from Israeli actress Odeya Rush in the title role and a reasonably minimal appearance from the legendary Ray Liotta, who died during filming, you can give it a chance.
The Dangerous Waters Plot: Nothing New Beneath the Surface
“Dangerous Waters” was written and directed by John Barr, with the screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Jackson. None of these names should mean too much to you, the average horror fan: Most of Barr’s films have been made as a cinematographer or as part of a cinematography team (“Frost/Nixon,” “Greenberg”), and his resume also includes only one film as a director (and also a cinematographer, but that doesn’t matter) – the suspense drama called “Allagash » with Tom Berenger.
Can we learn anything about the film from this CV? I doubt it. Even if the director’s inexperience is noticeable in certain parts of the film, for example in the construction of suspense, the cinematography does the job.
The plot of “Dangerous Waters” is not very original. Alma (Saffron Terriers of “Troy”, “Deep Blue Sea” and recently “Baghead”) lives in Florida with his daughter, Rose (Rash, “The Giver”, “Chair de Poule”, “Umma”, “Lady Bird”). She decides to join her mother on a pleasant cruise – at least on paper – with her current boyfriend, Derek (Eric Dane, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Euphoria”). Here, a horror fan should already be wary, because sailing for ten days at sea with a man with whom he has been dating for a few weeks (or knows, based on the average of the “Into The Deep” we have reviewed recently), and whom the girl has not yet met, does not seem like the safest idea ever.
Derek gives the impression of a creepy guy hiding something, like a gun.For example. When Derek mentions that he is a former cop and currently a security consultant, the metaphorical red lights start to turn on as we know the dark side of many cops in films like this. Anyway, the mother’s adorable lover also tries to get closer to Rose, who turns out to be a much stricter girl than she seems. He brings her a sea knife and lets her help him navigate the big boat.
At the same time, the relatively laid-back mother, who thinks she has come to a romantic comedy and not a thriller, declares at every opportunity that she has come to rest, drink, take photos for social networks, etc.
During these scenes, we discover each character, the most interesting being Rose. She understands weapons, for example, and demonstrates good shooting skills when Derek tries to teach her how to shoot. You know what they say about a gun, pocketknife, or other weapons that appear in the first act. Someone will have to use them as the film progresses.
To get you in the mood, here’s a two-minute trailer for “Dangerous Waters” which, as usual, manages to spoil some of the surprises the film has in store for viewers:
The real danger: dangerous people on the waters
At some point in “Dangerous Waters,” without giving away too many spoilers, things start to go wrong. It starts with a solid deception about a storm, which might confuse those who don’t know what this movie is about and think it’s going to be another low-budget disaster movie. But then bad guys arrive on the ship, shooting several characters. Derek manages to survive but reveals more and more to Rose who he is and his motivations. As a result, the viewer is not sure that the fact that he is alive is good news for her.
Regardless, from this point on, Rose’s journey of survival begins against the forces of nature, bad guys on the ship, bad guys on an island she manages to reach, and later even more bad guys on a ship led by the menacing captain (the legendary Ray Liotta, “Goodfellas,” “Field of Dreams,” “Copland,” “Hannibal” and more), who according to the stories, does some pretty terrible things to the women who come on board. He’s so scary and mythological that people call him “the Captain”, not something strange like a name.
We need to stop for a moment and explain the absolute horror that occurred on the set of “Dangerous Waters,” filmed in the Dominican Republic. One night, Liotta died in his sleep in the hotel where the crew was staying, at the age of 67. Almost a year later, it was announced that Ray Liotta’s cause of death was “natural.” In this case, a combination of pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, atherosclerosis, and heart failure shows that he probably wasn’t in the best health, but perhaps that’s the definition of a natural death.
Since Liotta’s appearance in the film is limited and amounts to something of a scene, the creators were able to complete the film without much trouble. But there’s no doubt that “Dangerous Waters” will also be remembered as the final film from one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors in recent decades, at least in my opinion.
Well, not exactly a horror movie
Let’s return to the film, which changes direction in its last part. Let me put it this way: If I was wondering while watching whether we should classify “Dangerous Waters” as a horror film for an action film, at some point it becomes an action thriller. Although the title of the film suggests otherwise, what is dangerous here is by no means the sea, although I would have liked a shark or two to appear in a cameo. The danger is not the desert island either. However, the film’s poster is a bit reminiscent of other island films, like the terrible “Fantasy Island” (which was awful even though Lucy Hale starred in it).
“Dangerous Waters” is a survival thriller primarily against humans, with the dangers of nature existing – you know, bad weather, survival on a desert island, the difficulties of navigation in the middle of the sea – but without obtaining the focus. AlwaysIn my opiniona survival film can almost naturally fall into the horror category because what could be scarier than fighting for our lives in extreme conditions?
Odeya Rush does an excellent job in the lead role: she is innocent and childish when necessary, tough when circumstances demand it (which happens quite often), and also seductive and sexy (although the scene in which she attempts to seduce the captain is far from good in terms of writing or logic, to say the least). You can describe this film, at times, as an action-packed “female” film, with a strong protagonist fighting for his life against many men, kicking their asses.
Some twists and turns are predictable, others are not very believable, and the rest could be more interesting for the viewer. It would have been interesting for me to know more and more from the main heroine about Derek’s past and present, as relevant as it is to the current plot. And a giant shark would be a great addition.
A little tightening up in the storyline would have managed to captivate viewers more. At the same time, credibility can be enhanced – for example, a character who manages to survive things that only Michael Myers can do.
As the film progresses, it loses some of its plot. It might have been wise to leave it as a feature film with a limited number of characters, maybe two or three, with changes in the dynamics between them, as well as revelations that are genuinely relevant to the struggle between life and death. In practice, we get a backstory for the “bad guys” that isn’t developed enough, with some subplots like kidnapped young women in the same boat. In these stages, the film takes a slightly more bombastic, significantly less credible direction. I prefer horror (like this) or suspense to action, especially when it’s not a film with an explosive budget that gives rise to breathtaking scenes.
Should we monitor dangerous waters?
“Dangerous Waters” is a survival thriller that’s hard to claim is too memorable. It is primarily intended for home viewing, while the cinematic contribution was minimal overall. It was, for example, shown in theaters in Israel (mainly thanks to Odeya Rush, of course), and made a significant portion of its limited profits in Russia: about $146,000 out of about $309,000 in total theater revenue.
But let’s say you’re looking for a movie to spend an hour and a half without too much commitment, with an impressive performance from a talented actress in the lead role and a brief but symbolic appearance in the career of a cinema legend. In this case, giving “Dangerous Waters” a chance is worth it.
Dangerous Waters – Everything You Need to Know
Year: 2024
Director: John Barr
Cast: Engineer, Eric Dane, Burrows Saffron, Ray Liotta
Scenario: Mark Jackson (Based on a story by John Barr)
Length: 101 minutes
Country of production: UNITED STATES
Language: English
Release date (US): September 13, 2023
Budget: Unpublished
Global gross: Approx. $333,000 (from Box Office Mojo)
MPAA Rating: Unavailable
Review rating:
BDIM: 5.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
