“Maybe we're spending more time watching that broad than watching our backs”-- Loomis

Initially expected to open wide in theaters in 2002, Miramax (through Dimension Films) decided to drown “Below” on 150 screens around the world instead. Not only that, but director David Twohy actually had to put up his own money to create a website for the film and to purchase advertising on the Net. Yes, Dimension weren’t doing jackshit to push the film! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? Needless to say, “Below” didn’t swim up to my town and I was pretty pissed off about the whole affair. Now that it’s out on DVD and that I’ve FINALLY seen it, I’m even angrier since it definitely should’ve been seen on the big screen by all! Grrrrrrr....I’m going to crack some skulls here.

Written by Darren Aronofsky (who was initially set to direct, but did "Requiem for a Dream" instead), Lucas Sussman (debut) and David Twohy, "Below" didn’t disappoint me one bit by taking me on one hell of a submarine ride and living up to all the positive hype I had picked up about it during its limp theatrical release. What was up with Dimension on this one? Why did they treat it like an unwanted stepchild with genital warts? Maybe since the film is well written, intelligent, had no rappers in it and was aimed at a mature audience they didn’t know what to do with it. How can they recoup their costs with a “smart” film? That’s a tough one, hey guys? When’s “Equilibrium” coming out in North America, by the way? Oh yeah, it’s probably also a good movie, so I guess I should scratch that one off my list as well.  Whatever man. Rant over.

"Below" is an atmospheric, claustrophobic eerie exercise in style and psychological shenanigans that will tickle your cerebral nerves in chilling ways. I perceived it as two films rolled into one fat joint of "toke-toke-pass" fun times. The first movie in here is akin to "U-571" and its brothers. You dig submarine movies? Yes? Well, you’ll be well served here with this realistic and exciting sub adventure. I felt like I was part of the crew while watching this puppy; Twohy truly captured how it must've felt to be kicking it on a submarine in all of its “cabin fever” glory. We also get everything from action-heavy run-ins with German boats dropping barrel bombs (you bet all kinds of people say “splashes"), to the mental repercussions that living on a submarine brings, to a multitude of complications due to the sub’s degenerating state. The subplots mentioned above, led to thrilling, suspenseful and, at times, semi-shocking scenarios. Sub fans take notice! This one is for you!

And then we have the horror movie angle which was thankfully played out in extremely subtle ways, subsequently kicking my ass all over the hull. Think old school, think “classic”, and think mucho effective. I got the chills more than once while watching this sucka and that had a lot to do with A) The surreal ambiance that Twohy injected into the film B) The capitalization on the sub setting-- I mean, let's face it, with its dark corridors and pitch black (pun intended) corners, the sub is a perfect playground for a horror movie C) Twohy’s brilliant use of sounds that sneakily crawled under my skin and D) Twohy’s incredible talent when it came to capturing and using momentum during the scare scenes. Yes, the film played it down, sometimes ambiguous, but it did it with high skills and it worked on me like a hooker working overtime in the suction department.

Character-wise, the players here were mostly defined by the situation, but I knew enough about them to care and the actors behind them made sure to keep my attention all the way through as well. Matthew Davis (O’Dell), Bruce Greenwood (Brice) and Olivia Williams (Claire) are not big name stars, but are all solid performers with acting chops the size of my ego to back them up. Who needs freaking stars when you got that jive kicking? Tag to all that, jaw-dropping cinematography, a pleasurable and constant mind-toying attitude, clever dialogue up the wazoo, a few “boo scares” that had me impersonating a grasshopper, ambitious shots galore, awesome moments of slow motion madness and you get a polished offering that delivered on so many counts.

"Below" was originally set for release on February 8th, 2002, then the summer of 2002 and ultimately, October 11th, 2002.

The original title of the film was "Proteus”.

David Twohy also directed "The Arrival" and "Pitch Black".