BLACK WATER (Allan Ungar; Pasha Patriki, 2018)

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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 28 May 2018, 18:05

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/05/ ... ater-2018/
But whilst objectively Black Water has more than a few flaws it does have some positives. Seeing JCVD and Dolph Lundgren kitting up and stalking their way through a submarine may appear more like two old men about to head out for a fishing trip – albeit one with guns – but it does tickle the nostalgic sweet spot that recalls both actors’ earlier movies, and whilst JCVD looks tired and haggard and doesn’t really get to show off many of his fighting moves it is Lundgren who provides the charm and charisma, making you wish he was in the film more than he actually is (and, if truth be told, doesn’t really need to be as his character feels like he was added in as an afterthought).
It goes without saying that Black Water is hardly a high point in either lead actors’ catalogue of work but when put up against any non-Expendables related movies from their recent filmographies it is probably one of the most enjoyable


Interesting comparison ;)
JCVD who is also not a romantic lead but as he is not as hulking as Lundgren he gets to play the part of the hero and bed the stunning CIA agent who is clearly about 30 years his junior and as convincing a CIA agent as Tanya Roberts was a geologist in A View to a Kill, another movie where we had to accept a craggy-faced man approaching pension age could seduce beautiful career women young enough to be his daughter.


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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 28 May 2018, 19:38

Canadian artwork (VOD release on July 3)

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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 29 May 2018, 08:34

From April 5 to 15th, it grossed $159,240 in the United Arab Emirates, with an average of $1,96 per screen according to Joblo
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/uae/? ... ASC&p=.htm
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 31 May 2018, 22:30

Black Water Review (UK)
https://www.avforums.com/review/black-w ... view.14973
Under Siege 3
by Casimir Harlow May 31, 2018

Marking their fifth collaboration, Universal Soldiers Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren team-up to cause trouble on a nuclear submarine.

With an on-screen career together dating back a quarter of a Century, it's surprising that these two 80s/90s action icons spent the best part of 20 years of that time avoiding co-starring vehicles, only to churn out a slew of collaborations ever since 2010's remarkably effective late-stage sequel, Universal Soldier: Regeneration (with it's Apocalypse-Now-on-a-budget follow-up, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning one of the most ambitious straight-to-DVD features in the last decade, and another collaboration for the duo).

Perhaps it's competing personalities, or star status, but it's a shame really, as neither command the kind of projects that they used to (notwithstanding Lundgren's upcoming return to the Rocky franchise in Creed II, and supporting part in the Justice League as Aquaman's father, the King), leaving this low budget Under Siege-lite a disappointing hunting ground for the two.

It's sad to see Van Damme drop back another few steps in his post-JCVD career comeback which never really gained momentum.

The story has Van Damme's deep cover operative captured and put on a special submarine for black ops interrogations where some treacherous US agents want to get him to reveal some secrets, requiring him to escape and wreak havoc on the decks.

It's flimsy, let down significantly by the submarine sets, and perhaps the fact that Van Damme looks extremely tired (which could easily be mistaken for a lack of enthusiasm and is made all the more obvious by Lundgren having a lot more fun on screen). The scenes with Lundgren certainly liven up old Van Damme's performance, which is also a disappointment because they represent less than a third of the runtime.

The directorial debut of Pasha Patriki, there's nothing really here which is going to endure the former DOP to his contemporaries or give him much of a career in the business beyond low rent STV actioners that nobody else wants to handle.

There is some attempt at style, but there's little flair for action - which is the only thing anybody will come to this for - and the film just peters out to a very anticlimactic final act that makes you wonder why you bothered. One decent action sequence could have given this a reason for its existence, but, alas, it never comes.

It's sad to see Van Damme (whose initially promising but ultimately lacklustre Amazon Original TV action-comedy series Jean-Claude Van Johnson got unsurprisingly but still disappointingly cancelled) drop back another few steps in his post-JCVD career comeback which never really gained momentum.


Black Water Blu-ray Picture
Black Water's Region B-locked UK Blu-ray release affords the low budget straight-to-video piece an appropriately glossy digital look, rendering a solid 1080p/AVC-encoded High Definition video presentation that has few technical faults beyond perhaps a few focus issues.

Detail remains frequently excellent, lapping up the craggy visages of the Van Damme and Lundgren, the grimy setting, clothing and uniforms as well as weaponry. It's a cheap pretence of a submarine set, which often basically amounts to a number of shoddy prison cells and a few faked control rooms (as well as a lot of undoubtedly stock footage), and the digital clarity is a plus and minus in this regard, making the film look better than it would otherwise look, but sometimes highlighting the literal seams in the low budget sets and props.

It's a very good image which belies the budget.

Nonetheless this isn't a technical fault of the video, which manages to avoid most problems - a hint of banding, a sniff of crush - but suffers most from the actually cinematography, with the DOP frequently struggling to maintain focus on his subjects, drifting a tiny bit occasionally.

It's not a big issue, but - again thanks to the digital shoot - it is noticeable more because the rest of the image remains so damn clear. Despite this it's an otherwise very good image which belies the limited budget.


Black Water Blu-ray Sound
Black Water's UK Blu-ray release has zero menu options beyond 'play film', which makes the fact that it defaults to a rather restrictive 2.0 track all the more frustrating. If you toggle your player's audio options, you'll find there's actually a superior LPCM 5.1 track which does a far more impressive job, but it's ridiculous that you have to go looking for it.

It's a solid enough audio accompaniment, if you can find the right audio track.

Dialogue remains well prioritised, keenly disseminated across the frontal array, whilst effects taken in the myriad weaponry - from automatic weapons, to silenced automatic weapons to handguns - whilst car screeches and smashing glass perforate the early scenes and ship-based effects are put into play once we set foot on the sub.

The score is as generic as you get, but knows when to kick into the right gear, and maintains pace across the piece. It's a solid enough audio accompaniment, if you can find the right audio track that is.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby savagesketch on 01 Jun 2018, 17:24

Glad to hear that Lundgren is delivering in this one, despite having limited screen time. What's slightly disappointing to hear is that Van Damme is once again playing a tired, worn-out character... Feels like we've been seeing him play this type of character for the past ten years now (with a few exceptions here and there).
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby shooby on 01 Jun 2018, 19:12

What ? Lundren is playing the father of Aquaman ?!? Lol
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby lt.brannigan on 02 Jun 2018, 03:52

shooby wrote:What ? Lundren is playing the father of Aquaman ?!? Lol


That caught my attention as well. Maybe Dolph is like Darth Vader in this and he's the father of both Mera and Aquaman.

"Aquaman, I am your father!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

Then Aquaman chops off his hand and is carried away by a whirlpool.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 02 Jun 2018, 14:23

The articles copy text talks about the movie being JUSTICE LEAGUE so...


French release cover, which rips off one of the fan arts made for the JCVD website poster contest

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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby harry on 02 Jun 2018, 21:16

This is the contribution of the German cover-artist (most of his works are for the German book-publisher Luzifer-Verlag) Michael Schubert to this poster contest.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 02 Jun 2018, 23:50

They replaced the old stills of JC and Dolph (ICARUS) with actual still portraits for the movie.

Schubert's original:

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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 04 Jun 2018, 17:37

Exclusive: Van Damme Recruits Dolph Lundgren In Black Water Video
https://screenrant.com/black-water-movi ... -lundgren/

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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 05 Jun 2018, 09:27

As expected and seen in the trailer, submarine shots (used several times) come from Tony Scott's CRIMSON TIDE and were already used in AGENT RED 18 years ago, as was the Pentagon aerial shot. Other submarine shots seem to CGI.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Leigh2704 on 08 Jun 2018, 17:50

It's not bad. Dolph is fun and looks like he's having it, but Van Damme looks bored throughout. They've both done far worse in their DTV careers.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Jox on 08 Jun 2018, 19:18

Dolph's great and I can tell he brought some ideas to his character himself. I didn't find JC to be bored or depressed like some say, but there wasn't much to his character or arc.

Indeed, hey've done far worse, and I found some very good points and production value technically (cinematography, a subtle score when there's no action, good use of blood violence, decent direction...

Yet, the BIG issue that cancelled any fun for me was the screenplay, the old flash key plot device, the submarine setting (anyone find this "high-concept" really? I never did but certainly not in 2017-18), some of the characters and plot points, some of the cast lacking edge, charisma, and substance/credibility...

It's as pointless and yawning as ESCAPE PLAN which I had also found to be a bad and old script to pick for Arnold and Sly. I was waiting for more people to write that but here you go.
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Re: BLACK WATER (Pasha Patriki, 2018)

Postby Leigh2704 on 09 Jun 2018, 01:46

The trailer made it look far cheaper and low rent than it actually was.
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