Despite Jude Law's accent, Black Sea is surprisingly enjoyable [Review]
What do you get if you take Jude Law, give him a Scottish accent, add a crew of misfits, and stuff them all into a cramped submarine? A film that is surprisingly better than it sounds, actually. Black Sea charts the journey of a group of skilled ex-submariners on their quest for gold - believed to be on the sea bed in a Nazi U-boat.
Director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) creates a thriller that captures the intense, claustrophobic nature of living and working in a submarine. I found myself on the edge of my seat for a lot of the film.
Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) plays Robinson, the tough-but-fair captain, and he does the role justice, even pulling off a pretty convincing Scottish accent, which makes him all the more intimidating. Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises) however, steals the show with his electric portrayal of the psychotic Fraser - who is a top diver but definitely not someone you want to be cooped up in a submarine with.
As the success of the mission grows less certain, Macdonald's gritty depiction highlights how greedy and ruthless people become in desperate situations.
All in all, the plot is solid and compelling enough without being too predictable, and the strong characters bring the story to life while reminding me how glad I am that I don't work on a submarine.