Dangerous Waters, 2023.
Directed by John Barr.
Starring Odeya Rush, Eric Dane, Saffron Burrows, Ray Liotta, and Omid Zader.
SYNOPSIS:
A sailing holiday spirals out of control when a teenage daughter uncovers the dark past of her mother’s new boyfriend.
Maybe it can be chalked up to watching and writing about hundreds of movies each year for nearly a decade, but some films are embarrassingly easy to see through. Directed by John Barr (co-writing alongside Mark Jackson), Dangerous Waters is one example, telegraphing nearly every step of its survival thriller narrative.
Within 15 minutes, it instantly becomes obvious what reveal this film is going to spend the majority of its running time building up to, which proves to be doubly frustrating here considering that there is a decent and bold idea for an action movie (this experience consistently shifts genre gears) tucked away in the third act that one wishes the filmmakers jumped right into, especially considering lead Odeya Rush is serviceable in that role cast against type.
Without spoiling anything, let’s just say the concept of a gun-wielding woman defending herself and rescuing others from a heinous group of people on a boat transferring a specific kind of passengers has the potential for schlocky, well-meaning fun. Instead, what’s here is roughly an hour of a script playing amateurish screenwriting games and a brief cameo from the legendary Ray Liotta as a ship captain using the word “hard” in boating terminology as a euphemism for something else (it is a crying shame that something so cringe and plain bad marks his final on-screen performance.) So, while I do think time on the job has trained me to catch on to what a plot is doing, there is also reason to believe that these filmmakers have no idea how to write remotely realistic characters or present anything resembling human emotions, effectively hiding surprises.
There is also a strong possibility that readers will figure out Dangerous Waters just from reading the most vague plot description. Nevertheless, Odeya Rush’s Rose is the daughter of Saffron Burrows’ Alma. They have been slightly drifting apart from one another since the former has been getting romantically closer to wealthy boat owner Derek (Eric Dane), not for his money but rather his personality. Meanwhile, Rose still hasn’t quite moved on from the tragic death of her soldier father. The trio have agreed to go on a sailing trip for a relaxing vacation, also marking the first time Rose and Derek have met one another.
There isn’t much characterization for anyone here, but Odeya Rush certainly tries in the early going, conveying some mixed emotions of mild jealousy that her mother has been spending less time with her but also happiness for her newfound love. Simultaneously, she distrusts Derek (you would have to be a fool not to think something is off regarding his behavior) but drops her guard after an unintentionally hilarious incident where they rescue Alma following some unexpected rough waters causing her to tumble into the ocean. He was also once a police officer and has some assault rifles on board, which becomes a point of connection for them, given Rose’s military fascination. Dangerous Waters is also the kind of lousy movie littered with laughable dialogue, such as Odeya Rush being forced to say that her character knows how to handle weapons because she grew up watching action movies with her father.
Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, drowning Dangerous Waters in a sea of predictability. The circumstances see Rose trying to contact help and survive on the boat with limited human interaction and resources, stalling until its inevitable shift into action territory upon the revelation of what’s really happening on this vacation. Eric Dane’s performance mostly consists of awkward shouting, Ray Liotta pointlessly pops up for five minutes as a sleaze bag, and none of the relationship dynamics between the characters amount to anything intriguing.
The only good thing that could come from Dangerous Waters is a talented filmmaking team drawing inspiration from the core idea of the third act action, which Odeya Rush delivers a solid physical performance for (there is a brutal kill where she strangles someone with a shirt). Otherwise, what’s truly dangerous is the perilous VOD landscape where someone possibly might waste their money on this. Tread those waters carefully.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
