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Below

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Below (2002)

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Reviews Counted:67

Fresh:43

Rotten:24

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: Below is a creepy, claustrophobic exercise in style.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: In 1943, the crew of the U.S.S. Tiger Shark, an American submarine in the Atlantic, rescues three survivors of a British hospital ship that came under German attack. One of the survivors, a nurse... In 1943, the crew of the U.S.S. Tiger Shark, an American submarine in the Atlantic, rescues three survivors of a British hospital ship that came under German attack. One of the survivors, a nurse (Olivia Williams), raises tensions among the all-male crew from the moment she steps aboard. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Brice (Bruce Greenwood) does his best to keep the unruly crew in line, but after suffering damage from a barrage of Nazi depth charges (in a spectacular sequence) a series of increasingly spooky occurrences begin to rattle everybody aboard. A mysterious face that appears in the windows, a ghostly phonograph that plays a Benny Goodman record, and a corpse that seems to talk are just the beginning. Soon it is discovered that Captain Brice has not been entirely truthful regarding an accident that previously happened on the boat. David Twohy's (PITCH BLACK) unique submarine thriller skillfully combines the conventions of the War and Haunted House genres, using a keen eye for detail to create a very believable and claustrophobic world. Based on a script by Darren Aronofsky and Lucas Sussman (rewritten by Twohy), BELOW doesn't rely on cheap scares. Its supernatural element is secondary to a forceful tale of danger at sea. [More]

Starring: Matt Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Scott Foley

Starring: Matt Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Scott Foley, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Flemyng, Holt McCallany

Director: David Twohy

Director: David Twohy
Screenwriter: Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky, David Twohy
Producer: Susan Baden-Powell, Michael Zoumas
Composer: Graeme Revell
Studio: Dimension Films

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Below

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams and Scott Foley give wicked performances as the final lot left to deal with the mysterious mess, doing their part to keep this sucker at 'see' level.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/11/02
E! Online

...begins with promise, but runs aground after being snared in its own tangled plot.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/18/02
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

A gripping little B-movie of more mood than substance, Below nonetheless delivers on its modest promises.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
10/14/02
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

Half Submarine flick, Half Ghost Story, All in one criminally neglected film

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/17/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Consistently clever and suspenseful.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/25/02
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

an exceedingly clever piece of cinema.another great ‘what you don’t see’ is much more terrifying than what you do see thriller, coupled with some arresting effects, incandescent tones and stupendous performances

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
11/15/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

A surprisingly unnerving production that shouldn’t be allowed to slip beneath the radar.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/11/02
Dan Fienberg
Dan Fienberg
L.A. Weekly

Below may not mark Mr. Twohy's emergence into the mainstream, but his promise remains undiminished.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
10/10/02
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An enjoyable, if occasionally flawed, experiment.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/18/02
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

The film has enough spooky momentum and good actors to keep it going.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/04/02
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As underwater ghost stories go, Below casts its spooky net out into the Atlantic Ocean and spits it back, grizzled and charred, somewhere northwest of the Bermuda Triangle.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
10/22/02
Elias Savada
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online

The reason Below gets beneath your skin is that the scriptwriters know what most current horror filmmakers never learned: Fear is an emotion, not a visceral response.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/02
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle

Every moment crackles with tension, and by the end of the flick, you're on the edge of your seat.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
10/11/02
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Exciting and direct, with ghost imagery that shows just enough to keep us on our toes.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
10/17/02
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Thanks to strong acting and low-key direction, Below stays above water in atmosphere and suspense.

Full Review Source: Sun Newspapers of Cleveland | comment Comment
11/01/02
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

While director David Twohy arguably doesn't mine the premise for all it's worth, he gets enough out of it to make it an effective Halloween treat.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
10/12/02
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

An underappreciated little film that would go down well as part of a triple bill on video for some undemanding entertainment.

Full Review Source: Movie Gurus | comment Comment
09/24/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Movie Gurus

Twohy knows how to inflate the mundane into the scarifying, and gets full mileage out of the rolling of a stray barrel or the unexpected blast of a phonograph record.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
10/11/02
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday

There is nothing outstanding about this film, but it is good enough and will likely be appreciated most by sailors and folks who know their way around a submarine.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Gave me the willies.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/22/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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October 17, 2002: The 60 Second Critic [on-camera movie review - Staci Layne Wilson for TV-Wire] Opens in new window
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