Black Sea

"What happens when one of them figures out that their share gets bigger when there are less people to share it with?"

Three film Saturday was on the cards. We were in desperate need of some movie time so we decided to see 'Black Sea' to start our movie marathon!

'Black Sea' is a 2014 British Thriller directed by Kevin Macdonald starring Jude Law as the main character Captain Robinson. Having been made redundant, Robinson, along with some of his former co-workers decide to investigate a missing submarine filled with millions of pounds worth of Nazi gold. With the backing of an investor the hunt gets underway. Joining Robinson and his former colleagues are a team of Russians and a young homeless guy brought on board by Robinson in a bid to help him out. As the submarine goes further and further into darkness as does the cabin-fevered crew who don't quite agree that everyone deserves a fair share of the potential gold. 

I found this movie quite thrilling actually. The production team did a marvellous job by making you feel as if you were actually in deep water yourself. I found at times feeling like I couldn't breathe, which is the sign of any good film that it controls you so much you lose your senses. One down side is that I feel the budget was tight as there weren't so many great shots of the actual submarine. Still, the film was scored perfectly, something I cannot fault. The plot was well thought out with minor side stories but main focus on the task at hand which is always a winner for me. I did feel the film lagging at points which meant it probably could have been shortened a tad. The acting was almost spot on. It was strange to see Jude Law but hear a Scottish accent coming out of him but I got used it after a while. Great film, shame about the pace and production value.

A solid 7/10 for 'Black Sea' placing it at number 32 of 67 films so far in my almost complete 2014 League Table.
 

'71

To complete our two-film Saturday, Mr B and I decided to see the British film '71. After hearing quite a bit about this film through other reviews, I thought I'd indulge my love of British filmmaking and convince Mr B to go see it.

'71 is a British action film set in Belfast around the time of the Belfast riots (unsurprisingly, 1971 to be precise). It stars Jack O'Connell (Starred Up, Skins) as the lead role of Gary Hook, a British soldier from Derbyshire, who gets separated from his unit during a riot on the streets of Belfast. As the night draws in, Hook needs to find his way back to his unit before being discovered by the deadly riot squads patrolling the streets of Belfast.

 

What can I say; this film has a lot going for it. For starters, the shaky cam filming during the high action parts works wonders for a film like this, with moments that made me feel so immersed in the action, I actually felt like I was in Belfast in 1971. I also learnt more than I wanted to know about the horrendous Belfast riots, which I had no idea about prior to seeing this movie. It's hard to believe that only 40 years ago the UK was in such a state. The movie is held together by five explosive scenes which enraptured me. However, the dialogue for me was limited to the point where I found myself a little bored at times. Having said that, O'Connell delivers the best performance of his career so far, besting his performance in 'Starred Up', which I would have initially thought impossible. Every film I see with Jack O'Connell in convinces me more and more that this guy is going to be huge one day. How he can hold your focus and how he conveys such angst with very few words is such an amazing thing to watch. His performance makes this good film great.

 

7/10 for '71 which places it around mid-table on My 2014 League Table. The film taught me a lot (mostly about how much I should look forward to the next film starring Jack O'Connell) but lacked enough dialogue to place it any higher in the league.