Review of Phantom (2013) by Jeffrey M — 12 Jul 2013

When compared to the films that came before it, notably Crimson Tide and The Hunt For Red October, Phantom pales in comparison. It has neither the dramatic heft nor the tension of those films to be considered a worthy successor. For all its faults, however, Phantom does generally deliver on its premise and does enough right to make it at least a passing thriller.

It's the script for Phantom that feels the most unpolished. The exposition is rushed and a bit hammy, and the dialogue often stilted. The characters are placed in situations which should be tension filled, but pass too suddenly, and to a largely muted effect. This is also a direction issue, with a far too many stylistic indulgences by Todd Robinson.

The cast features some reliable talents, but is undoubtedly headlined by Ed Harris, who lifts every scene he's in, and injects the film with the sort of apprehension it seemed to be going for. Duchnovny is a character actor, to be sure, and is a bit miscast but still manages to deliver on his part. William Fichtner, terribly underrated, also brings a fair amount of presence to the screen, and has surprising chemistry with Harris. Though the cast didn't make up for the film's lack of polish, it certainly elevated the otherwise lackluster material.

As a pure thriller, Phantom does hit on the major beats one would expect. The story, that of a rogue Soviet ballistic missile sub, is compelling, especially considering it was inspired by real-world events. That it's a very Americanized version, the actors don't even speak with accents, is a bit disconcerting, but the heart of the story does seem to pay off well at the end.

Not without some flaws, but an adequate enough drama.

3/5 Stars.