Miss Flicks

Deep Water: Film Review

Adrian Lyne is the king of the erotic thriller, with the likes of Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal under his belt, and he has returned to filmmaking for the first time since 2002’s Unfaithful to prove that he’s still got the goods with Deep Water.

His latest, based on the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name, stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as Vic and Melinda Van Allen, a wealthy couple stuck in a loveless marriage. Instead of doing what normal people do and getting a divorce, Vic allows Melinda to have lovers, who she brazenly parades around in front of Vic and their friends at parties and invites over for dinner at the family home. Vic insists he is OK with this arrangement but his actions would suggest otherwise.

I know it’s stating the obvious but the Van Allen’s marriage is beyond dysfunctional. I found it fascinating watching the inner workings of such an unconventional partnership as the power dynamic is juicy as hell. Admittedly, this is more of a twisted marital drama than an erotic thriller, not much happens and it didn’t have many twists and turns. But despite all that, I was riveted and gripped watching the power and control shift from Vic to Melinda and back again.

The slow-burning story – adapted by Zach Helm and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson – is pretty loyal to the source material (with some modern updates of course) with the exception of the ending. So if you think you know what’s coming, you don’t! The threads felt like they were building up towards a sensational climax and it didn’t disappoint. I would have liked it to go a bit darker and show us more detail but I respect Lyne for being less obvious.

Deep Water is a great showcase for both Affleck and de Armas, but particularly de Armas as it shows us more of what she’s capable of. They have palpable “I used to love you but now I hate you” chemistry and seem thoroughly fed up with each other yet unable to sever their ties. They are both pretty twisted characters and you have to feel sorry for their daughter Trixie (Grace Jenkins) who is caught up in their mind games.

Melinda has an insatiable appetite for sex, intimacy and passion, which she no longer gets from Vic so tries to find elsewhere. She is sexy, seductive and charming and has a captivating screen presence. Melinda always seems to have a new lover on the go and does it primarily for attention – to see if she can get a rise out of Vic. Affleck is well cast but rather one-note as this sinister rich guy who seems cool, detached and emotionless on the surface when he’s obviously not. They are supported well by the likes of Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, and Finn Wittrock.

Lyne knows his way around an erotic drama/thriller and even with a 20-year absence from the industry, he hasn’t lost his touch. I feel like films like this don’t really get made anymore and it’s a shame because I enjoyed this.

On Prime Video from Friday 18th March