Below (2002)

Director:

David Twohy

Writers (WGA):

Lucas Sussman (written by) &
Darren Aronofsky (written by) ...

Release Date:

24 October 2002 (Singapore)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Six hundred feet beneath the surface terror runs deep

Plot:

Strange happenings occur on a WW II submarine.

Plot Keywords:

U Boat | Grappling Hook | Record Player | Friendly Fire | Ship Fire

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Matthew Davis	...	Odell (as Matt Davis)
Bruce Greenwood	...	Brice
Olivia Williams	...	Claire
Holt McCallany	...	Loomis
Scott Foley	...	Coors
Zach Galifianakis	...	Weird Wally
Jason Flemyng	...	Stumbo
Dexter Fletcher	...	Kingsley
Nick Chinlund	...	Chief
Andrew Howard	...	Hoag
Christopher Fairbank	...	Pappy
Chuck Ellsworth	...	Navy Pilot
Crispin Layfield	...	Navy Lookout
Jonathan Hartman	...	Schillings
Sebastian Knapp	...	Sonar #1

Also Known As:

Proteus (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:TE | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Lake Michigan, Illinois, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Darren Aronofsky, who co-wrote the screenplay, was originally going to direct the film in 1999 but instead made Requiem for a Dream (2000).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The diving officer orders the boat to periscope depth, then adds, "66 feet." On a WW2 fleet boat, minimum periscope depth was 55 feet, optimum was 58 feet, and maximum was 62 feet. At 66 feet the scope would have been 4 feet under the surface.

Quotes:

Brice: Try not to fraternize with the men. They can be a little... strange.
Claire: Strange, as in superstitious?
Brice: As in "strange."

Movie Connections:

Featured in An Unfinished Life (2005)

Soundtrack:

Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)

Best ghost movie in quite some years

This film has its share of fans, and I wanted to chime in.

I thought its visual effects were beautiful and functional throughout--this is a ghost movie, but the ghost effects are subtle, and never stoop to goofy atmospherics. Indeed, the ghost images are only a very small portion of the visual effects platter on display. Most of the wonderful miniatures and digital constructions concern themselves with the reality of the submarine and its adventures. And these numerous shots feature very little showing off--like the very best effects, they are tools to transmit the story, first and foremost. This rigid adhesion to story is visible all around, and it's very clear that cast and crew were solidly focused.

"Below" is a basic ghost mystery story (who is the ghost and what does it want), a type of film that is seldom done nowadays. A good number of these have been done over the years, certainly, and so the subject matter is familiar, but the story details/mechanics of "Below" present it all in a fresh manner. Lots of business for the actors to work with.

It's intricate, and demands attention from its viewers, and this is rewarded by what I think is a very watchable and entertaining ride, thanks in no small part to its great cast and tight direction. Yes! it's scary, possibly one of the most frightening films I've seen in years. I hesitate to call it a "horror" film, because its audience identification characters do their best to see that justice prevails, and eventually they pull the audience out of this hellish experience. This optimism gives the film a quality of fairy-tale parable. But it is certainly a white-knuckle suspense thriller.