Below

American filmmaker David Twohy is best known for creating a series of science fiction films called “The Chronicles of Riddick” starring Vin Diesel. Following the success of “Pitch Black” in 2000, (the first of the Riddick adventures), Twohy was invited to take over a project called “Proteus.” This was a combination of a science fiction film and a historical war picture in which the crew of a World War II submarine find themselves doing battle with aliens. Twohy rewrote the script by Darren Aronofsky and Lucas Sussman, eliminating the aliens and turning the picture into a ghost story! I’m not sure how the original tale would have worked out as a film, but the ghost story just didn’t work for me at all.

This week’s movie was “Below” from Dimension Films in 2002. In August of 1943 American submarine “USS Tiger Shark” is on patrol in the Atlantic Ocean near the British Isles. “Lieutenant Richard Brice,” (Bruce Greenwood), is in command following the death of “Lieutenant Commander Winters,” (Nick Hobbs). Brice receives orders to pick up three survivors from the British hospital ship “Fort James.” This includes nurse “Claire Page,” (Olivia Williams), and one crewman and a German prisoner. The submarine is attacked by a relentless German destroyer, but mysterious events suggest that the boat is also dealing with a supernatural threat. Claire and “Ensign Douglas Odell,” (Matthew Davis), uncover several terrible secrets. The “Tiger Shark” had torpedoed the “Fort James,” mistaking it for a German submarine tender. The misidentification was the responsibility of Brice, “Lieutenant Paul Loomis,” (Holt McCallany), and “Lieutenant Junior Grade Steven Coors,” (Scott Foley). To conceal the error and save their careers the three officers murdered Winters. Now the ghost of the former Skipper has returned for revenge!

This is a really, really bad movie. I might be more forgiving if it was at least entertaining, but this movie is no fun at all. The good guys aren’t particularly likable, and the villains aren’t interesting. Even the ghost is boring!

I contacted a friend who is knowledgeable about submarine warfare of the period and between us we were able to identify at least half a dozen major technical or historical inaccuracies that totally undermined this story’s believability. Combine this with the logical holes in the plot and you get one of the most disappointing motion pictures that I have seen in a long time. Avoid this one at all costs!

The Gato class submarine “USS Silversides” was towed out into Lake Michigan to serve in the exterior footage as the “USS Tiger Shark.” Interior shots were filmed on a studio set in Pinewood in England.