A film that is diverting but not memorable.
The Deep End (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:113
Fresh:92
Rotten:21
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: A well-acted film noir with arresting visuals.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Tilda Swinton is riveting as Margaret Hall, a conscientious mom raising a family in Lake Tahoe who is entangled in a web of blackmail. While she frets over transporting her kids to ballet and... Tilda Swinton is riveting as Margaret Hall, a conscientious mom raising a family in Lake Tahoe who is entangled in a web of blackmail. While she frets over transporting her kids to ballet and baseball practice, she worries that her teenage son, Beau (Jonathan Tucker), is involved in a sleazy nightclub life in nearby Nevada. Margaret's husband is a Naval officer who is often away at sea, so she is alone in rearing her family. When Beau gets into a car accident with his gay lover, Darby (Joshua Lucas), after a night of partying in Reno, Margaret takes matters into her own hands and tells Darby to stay away from her son. A few days later Darby shockingly turns up dead next to her boathouse. Shortly thereafter, mysterious Alek (Goran Visnjic of the television series ER) comes to Margaret's door armed with an incriminating video of her son and Darby and threatens to go to the police if she doesn't pay him $50,000. The film's mystery and tension mount as the plot twists and turns--in one scene Tilda Swinton's captivating eyes frantically look on as the strangely tormented Goran Visnjic performs CPR in an emergency worthy of ER. Directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee, famous for their inventive first feature, SUTURE, trade idiosyncrasy for atmosphere using Giles Nuttgens's fluid cinematography--which oozes with mystery in cool blues and refracted light--to set the frightening and suspenseful mood of THE DEEP END. [More]
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Raymond J. Barry
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Raymond J. Barry, Peter Donat, Jordan Dorrance, Tamara Hope, Joshua Lucas
Director: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Director: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Screenwriter: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Producer: David Siegel, Scott McGehee
Composer: Peter Nashel
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Reviews for The Deep End
Swinton ... is for once deglamorized into an ordinary woman enlarged by extraordinary circumstances, and the role animates her wonderfully.
A stunning and stylish update of The Reckless Moment (1949), the sophomore effort from Siegel and McGehee is a taut psychological drama that lingers long after its credits roll.
An engrossing, full-of-surprises thriller about a woman who gives new meaning to the term 'supermom.'
Unbidden, Alek (Goran Visnjic) gives Margaret what she wants from her family: recognition. Maybe that’s all that any woman wants from her family.
For the most part ... the filmmakers and performers invest a high level of intelligence and sympathy into The Deep End.
The unadorned beauty of Swinton's fascinating face is reminiscent of the model in Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Braids." Once you've looked into her narrowed eyes, you're hooked.
...captures some of this harrowing atmosphere, but I wanted even more.
...insofar as creating any kind of realism or credibility is concerned...the movie goes quickly off the deep end.
Tilda Swinton carries this movie on her capable shoulders, and with a lesser actress in the lead, I am sure that it wouldn't be getting the rave reviews it is.
I admired the film’s overall craft and structure, but without capturing my complete sympathies, it misses greatness.
It is a gripping, suspenseful drama that grabs you by the throat and just won't let go.
For a film that doesn't really have much happening in it (action-wise), this baby sure is gripping!
(Tilda Swinton gives) perhaps the best performance from any actor I've seen so far this year.
Latest News for The Deep End
September 08, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Bee Season
Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Flora Cross, and Kate Bosworth star in the new drama "Bee Season," which is based on the novel by Myla Goldberg, and interested parties... More...
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