Review – The Deep

In the wake of Jaws, someone with a finger on the green light button must have assumed anything by Peter Benchley would be instant gold. Guess not. Nick Nolte and Jaqueline Bisset star as a young couple on vacation in Bermuda. While diving on a wreck they accidentally uncover both Spanish treasure and a World War Two cache of morphine. Naturally this attracts a local criminal, sending our heroes in search of help from a crusty old professional treasure diver (Robert Shaw in his last screen role). The diving sequences are particularly disappointing. The water is pretty, but particularly on the wreck itself it’s often difficult to tell exactly what’s going on. Still, they’re fascinating stuff compared to the land-based drama. This is sorta fun in a 70s way, but it’s also more than a little boring. Mildly amusing