Deep Water
Deep Water
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 14, 2025
While Deep Water didn’t hit my lofty expectations set by the mere idea of Adrian Lyne directing an adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel that would be starring (then) real life couple Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck, it does offer a few salacious thrills and twisted morality that almost makes this a must watch. Melinda Van Allen (De Armas) and Vic Van Allen (Affleck) are mired in a seemingly loveless marriage, staying together for reasons that aren’t totally apparent at first, nor are they fleshed out by the end. What is apparent is that in this marital arrangement, Melinda is free to pursue affairs with other men, flaunt them in front of Vic, and Vic is powerless to take any recourse….maybe. Melinda’s boy toys seem to have a habit of disappearing and/or meeting an untimely end.
Technically an erotic thriller, there isn’t a ton of eroticism, or thrills for that matter. However, it would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that the image of Ana De Arma beckoning for Vic to “Eat my Ass” has been living rent-free in my head since I watched this. In all the film is a bit boring and repetitive particularly in the first half of the film. There is an element of mystery and intrigue, but not in a manner that really serves the characters or story. Both Vic and Melinda are rather despicable as protagonists. As such, the desire to unravel this mystery is born out of pure curiosity to see where the hell this weird film is going.
Unfortunately, where this film ends up is in one of the weirdest climactic scenes I could have imagined for an erotic thriller. Without giving anything away, it involves Tracy Letts cursing at his phone’s auto-correct function and it had me literally laughing out loud in my seat. Ultimately, This is not a good movie. I might be giving 3 stars to De Armas alone. But I stand by that this might be a must watch and I love that this film even got made.