Based on the 1957 novel by Patricia Highsmith, the genius who also wrote Strangers on a train in the The talented Mr. Ripley, which should give you a little idea of the games played here, “Deep Water” leaves no time with the “happy days” of the Van Allen union. We meet Vic Van Allen (Affleck) and his wife Melinda (Ana de Armas) deep in the misery of a failed partnership. They have been dating, apparently for their daughter Trixie (Grace Jenkins), but there seems to be little love left between the couple. The first extended scene takes place at a party, where Melinda is completely drunk and flirts with a handsome young man, who has personally invited her to the party. In a moment alone, Vic tells the new beau that he killed Melinda’s last lover, who is now missing. Is he kidding? The next day he claims to be, but the basic machining of the script by Zach Helm (“Stranger Than Fiction”) and Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) is set in motion: Melinda cheats, and it is possible that Vic kills the guys Melinda is cheating on.
That’s certainly what Don Wilson (Tracy Letts) thinks is happening, and the fact that he’s leading the plot is a weakness that Helm & Levinson does not really take enough time to sell. Why does this man devote so much time and capital to his theory that Vic is a murderer? At the end he says something about a book, which could be the only reason, but there is also an interesting beat when Don meets Vic and they get a little excited about how Van Allen made his money – the kind of drone technology that used in war. Has Vic always seen human life as disposable? There is a fascinating thematic undercurrent in “Deep Water” about two people who may seem very different, but both are users – Melinda uses men for pleasure and to provoke her husband. She says at one point that she does this because of the way she feels. These are selfish creatures, two people who give basic instincts in ways that oppress most moral people.
Affleck neglects this addictive selfishness perfectly, and proves a great fit for the world of the writer who gave us Tom Ripley. There are echoes of Affleck’s work in “Gone Girl” as he captures Vic’s temperature as it rises each time he sees Melinda with a new lover, including that of Jacob Elordi and Finn Wittrock. Why does Vic not just open up? The script, especially in his last act, points to some obscure themes that a longer version is likely to unpack more, but Affleck and De Armas sell this psychosexual dysfunction in a way that other performers would have missed. Lyne knows exactly how to use her physical beauty and sexual chemistry on screen, reminding viewers how rarely do we see this kind of thing among big movie stars. I would also like to contribute that I really enjoy how often Lil Rel Howery has reappeared lately and is so relatively effective in relatively small parts (he also delivers this year in two SXSW films, “I Love My Dad” and ” Spin Me Round “”). He becomes a notable asset to those seeking a skeptical support role.
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