Jared Cole (Paul Walker, "2 Fast 2 Furious") is
a treasure hunter whose dreams are greater
than his successes. His girlfriend, Sam
("Fantastic Four's" Jessica Alba), is a shark
handler at a resort. They live fairly happily
together in a ramshackle trailer on a pristine
beach in the Bahamas. All of which quickly
goes
south when Jared's old buddy, Bryce (Scott
Caan) moves to town with his girlfriend,
Amanda (Ashley Scott). Bryce is a rich lawyer
with a mansion and a yacht, and it's not long
before Jared decides that's the life for him.
The opportunity arises when, while diving
around the island, Jared discovers an old
shipwreck that may hold valuable contents.
Things get interesting when, on another dive,
they find a second, more recent wreck with
more contemporary treasure. Of course, the
second wreck belongs to some bad people,
which Jared and Sam quickly discern.
Amanda and Bryce, however, are not so
discerning. Toss in a shady nightclub
owner/fence (Tyson Beckford) and a
competing team of treasure hunters (led by
Josh Brolin, who is too old for this movie) and
it isn't long before Jared and Sam's world
turns upside-down.
This is about as standard a collection of
thriller clichés as has ever been committed to
film. Still, the settings are amazing (above and
below the ocean), while Paul Walker and
Jessica Alba look better in bathing suits than
ought to be allowed in civil society. The script
by Matt Johnson ("Torque"), clichés
notwithstanding, is tight and not completely
incoherent, and director John Stockwell ("Blue
Crush") seems to know his way around
aquatic-themed material. He keeps things fast
and wet, which, in a bikini thriller, is a good
thing. Of course, no one in this film can
actually act, but oddly, better acting wouldn't
have made the movie any better; it may have
even hurt it.
Starring Paul Walker,
Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, Josh
Brolin and Tyson Beckford. Directed by John
Stockwell. Written by Matt Johnson. Produced
by David A. Zelon. A Columbia release.
Action-Thriller. Rated PG-13 for intense
sequences of action, violence, drug material,
some sexual content and language. Running
time: 110 min
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