‘Deep Water’ movie review: A good-looking, soggy mess

Does  Deep Water signify the return of the erotic thriller? Adrian Lyne, who has helmed  Deep Water, is sort of the grasp of the style, having made such succulent lovelies within the ‘80s and 90s as  9½ Weeks (1986),  Deadly Attraction (1987) and  Indecent Proposal (1993).  Deep Water indicators Lyne’s return to route following 2002’s  Untrue. 

Whereas  Deep Water is pulpy sufficient with intercourse and violence and excellent-looking folks feverishly coupling or throwing sultry glances and/or punches at one another, there may be none of that purple warmth, real chills or smarts you’d anticipate from a Lyne movie; he additionally made the mind-bending  Jacob’s Ladder (1990). 

Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) has retired after making a sack-full of cash of some drone know-how. He lives in a small city in Louisiana along with his stunning, temperamental, passionate spouse, Melinda (Ana de Armas) and their daughter Trixie (Grace Jenkins).  

For somebody so wealthy, residing in a stunning home, there’s a shocking lack of workers aside from the child sitter, who known as in when the Van Allens are visiting associates. For some bizarre purpose, that’s by no means correctly defined (thereby not having us spend money on the proceedings), Vic tolerates Melinda’s many infidelities.  

Within the 1957 novel, the explanation for Vic wanting the opposite means at Melinda’s philandering was to keep away from the messiness of divorce. It doesn’t make sense at the present time. Perhaps Lyne may have launched a watertight pre-nup or another purpose why the 2 needed to keep collectively regardless of despising one another.  

Lyne has chosen the “jealousy as aphrodisiac” route, which isn’t very convincing both because it doesn’t appear to ignite any sizzle beneath the Van Allen sheets. The film opens with a point out of one among Melinda’s lovers, Martin, going lacking. Vic jokingly tells Melinda’s current lover, Joel (Brendan C. Miller) that he killed Martin. Joel is scared sufficient to hoof it.  

Subsequent, Melinda units her roving eye on dishy piano participant Charlie (Jacob Elordi) and there may be additionally her first boyfriend, Tony (Finn Wittrock), who crawls out of the woodwork. The Van Allens’ associates don’t appear to be actual folks a lot as simply there to fill the frames. There may be additionally an creator, Don Wilson (Tracy Letts) who suspects Vic, a lot to his spouse’s embarrassment.  

The third act is obvious foolish with Vic tearing off right here and there on his mountain bike. Affleck provides a clean look more often than not to indicate his ethical ambiguity, whereas de Armas spends most of her time pouting in beautiful cocktail clothes and taking off her depraved stilettos. With out intercourse or smarts,  Deep Water is principally a handsome, however soggy mess.  

Deep Water is presently streaming on Amazon Prime Video