2005 was a very good year for Jessica Alba. The young actress, who up until
recently was perhaps best known for her role as Max in the TV series Dark Angel,
scored a triple cinematic bull’s-eye with the release of three films in
theaters: Sin City, The Fantastic Four and Into The Blue. Although it was shot
before F4, Into The Blue had its release delayed until after Alba’s superhero
film was released, more than likely so it could take advantage of the buzz Alba
enjoyed from that hit movie. In Into The Blue, Alba stars as Sam, the girlfriend
of beach bum Jared, played by Paul Walker. Just scraping by with odd jobs in the
Bahamas--Sam works as an expert guide in the shark tank at the Atlantis resort,
while Jared gets himself fired from a diving gig thanks to an obnoxious
boss--Jared decides to get back into treasure hunting once more to make some
real money, which is easier said than done, since his boat is practically a
wreck itself.
Jared’s old friend Bryce (Scott Caan--actor James "Godfather" Caan’s son) comes
down to the islands for a visit. Now a successful lawyer who defends all manner
of criminals, Bryce has access to a client’s swanky beach house and powerboat.
He also brings Amanda (Ashley Scott), a girl he just met barely 14 hours ago.
While the foursome go diving one fine day in the ocean, Jared loses his watch in
the water while horsing around with Bryce. When he dives deep to look for it,
instead of his watch, Jared finds several bits of clues along the bottom that
are indicative of a sunken ship. Bryce joins Jared in a broader sweep for the
wreck--and while they do find a wreck, it’s not a ship, but a sunken cargo plane
that’s loaded with cocaine.
Of course, the nasty drug dealers want their stuff back at any cost, putting our
junior detectives in great danger. The drug angle gives Into The Blue a Miami
Vice-like twist to a storyline that already feels like Baywatch meets Flipper.
But director John Stockwell isn’t out to create Citizen Kane here; indeed, Into
The Blue is actually very well made for the type of film that it is: just a
breezy lark set in a beautiful tropical paradise, nothing more, nothing less.
And Stockwell superbly captures the vast and colorful world under the ocean; he
deftly incorporates scenes with his actors interacting with various underwater species
and settings without making it look like stock footage that's been awkwardly cut
into the picture.
Walker
and Alba are convincing in their roles as an earnest beach bum couple; the sort
of people who are just at home in the water as they are on land, while Caan is
perfect as a hyped up, type ‘A’ personality who’s always looking to score. And
although Scott’s character isn’t given much background, she still does a good
job at fleshing out Amanda, especially in scenes where she’s clad in nothing but
a scant white bikini. The special features include an audio commentary by
Director Stockwell (an actor himself, who starred in Christine, and My Science
Project), deleted scenes, screen tests, and the standard ’making of’ documentary
(which has a funny moment when Alba describes the frustration of trying to act
with scuba gear covering her face). While Into The Blue may not be another
Maltese Falcon, it’ll probably be the perfect film to watch on a snowy day in
the dead of winter.
--SF
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