Movie Haiku - Into The Blue

www.foxinternational.com/ww/into-the-blue


Dir: John Stockwell


Cast: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott


They dive for treasure

she wears small tight bikini

a two hour wet dream


Jessica Alba in a bikini. That seems to be the principal selling point behind Into The Blue, an old-fashioned crime caper movie which conveniently happens to have a water-based setting, thereby ensuring that its principal cast wear as few clothes as are strictly necessary. Let's be fair, it's not just Jessica's toned figure on display here; the camera takes every opportunity to show off the equally-lovely curves of Ashley Scott, and for the ladies in the audience there's Paul Walker - who spends so much time bare-chested you have to question whether his wardrobe contains any shirts at all. If you're expecting a high-brow, intelligent film then you may as well stop reading now! It's a well-worn but effective plot: Jared (Walker) is a diver who dreams of finding a shipwreck with a long lost bounty of treasure. When out diving with his girlfriend Sam (Alba), lawyer brother Bryce (Caan) and his latest squeeze Amanda (Scott) they actually do stumble across an old wreck, but need to prove its identity before they can lay claim to their findings. At the same time they also uncover a crashed plane which is packed full of cocaine - what are the chances, eh? Jared insists they can't touch the drugs as someone's bound to be looking for them, but of course things get complicated when Bryce and Amanda decide to take matters into their own hands. Factor in the local law enforcement officer, a fellow dive operator (Josh Brolin, looking uncannily like 80's-era Kurt Russell), an English drug lord, and a number of killer sharks and you've got yourself a film. Into The Blue is certainly not breaking any new ground, but it's a well-crafted film which avoids too many of the usual cliches of the genre. Journeyman director Stockwell (who also directed the water-based Blue Crush) does his best work here, shooting many impressive underwater scenes, and relying on very few visual effects. What also helps is the fact that it's not primarily aimed at a young teenage audience - it's a 15 certificate in the UK - and there are one or two quite unpleasant shocks in store. I was also pleased to see Stockwell eschew the expected rock soundtrack in favour of a few carefully chosen upbeat pop songs and incidental music, a wise decision indeed. Admittedly the acting is poor, especially from Walker and Alba, but then one imagines they were employed as eye candy than for their acting abilities. That said, it really doesn't detract from the enjoyment of this shallow, fun piece of entertainment - this is pure escapism and it knows it. Hey, there's even a really glaring continuity error to amuse - just keep an eye on the lady walking behind Bryce as Jared meets him at the airport! And once all the loose ends have all been tied up at the close of the film you get to watch more footage of Jessica Alba in her bikini as the end credits roll. Without a doubt in my mind, Into The Blue is cinema's guiltiest pleasure in 2005.

soulmining rating: ****