Here is a genre film as elemental and entertaining as the tagline on its poster: "Brave the deep. Find the gold. Trust no one." Directed with characteristic muscularity by Kevin Macdonald, known for his dexterous shifts between documentaries (One Day in September, Touching the Void) and feature films (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play), Black Sea stars an unglamorous, vehement Jude Law as Robinson, a veteran submarine captain who has devoted his life to the sea at the expense of time with his estranged wife and son. His life is upended when he loses his job without warning, just another dour victim of a corporate culture's disrespect for the salt-of-the-earth men and women in its employ. However, the chance to lead a dangerous search for a long-vanished U-boat rumored to contain a fortune in gold represents an unexpected vehicle for redemption. He could return home an empowered and wealthy man if he survives the arduous journey, including rapidly escalating tension among the twelve-man international crew, each promised an equal share.

The film runs afoul of a few clichéd bumps in the road—I am not sure any submarine is large enough for both the Shifty-Eyed Lawyer with an Ulterior Corporate Motive and the Wide-Eyed Lad at Sea for the First Time—but it is a riveting experience overall. Macdonald exhibits an enthusiastic interest in the day-to-day routine on a submarine, training his camera on each man's analog technical expertise and related duties. And he films the outmoded, rusted Soviet boat as if it were a haunted house, always heightening the claustrophobia and general atmosphere of unease. The film builds to a busy and violent finale with a potent emotional component.

B+

Not necessarily my kind of movie, but it's very well-acted and the last 30 minutes are very suspenseful. It isn't the deepest thing I've ever seen, but it's worth seeing. B

Do you think Das Boot went deeper?