Review of Phantom (2013) by F B — 23 Jan 2014

PHANTOM is a solidly entertaining, if unspectacular submarine thriller in a tradition of, but not quite reaching the level of better films such as THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (a clear inspiration, as Tony Scott was memorialized in the end credits).

The cast is headed by Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fichtner, all of whom give respectable performances. Another plus is that the subject matter is never treated in a melodramatic way. Everyone plays it cool as they can given the circumstances of the story, but never descends into hysterical shouting matches.

That being said, the movie is about a submarine captain, soon to retire, who is taking an old sub out for its last mission. During the course of the movie, he has to deal with hallucinatory episodes (brought on by epilepsy) and rogue KGB agents who have been implanted to carry out a covert mission.

Dramatically, there are no surprises and the mechanics of the story are dealt with in a rather straightforward manner, but the actors help to elevate the material somewhat beyond its made-for-cable trappings.

The camerawork and cinematography is ok. The action is mostly confined to a submarine, so the shots are mostly close-quarters, but there isn't any shaky-cam and geography is defined adequately. Also worth mentioning is the score, which reminded me at times of the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movies.

On the downside, one element which is hinted at and developed early on is that Ed Harris' character suffers from occasional hallucinations. This potentially could have added an extra layer of drama and suspense to the movie if they'd have stuck with it.

However, after a few of these episodes, he explains why he's been having them and then it's dropped. Definitely a missed opportunity there. Also, despite the story being adequate, it's almost too mundane.

These types of movies have been done many times before, and even though PHANTOM functions like a well-oiled machine, it could have done with a few extra flourishes to make it stand out some more. That being said, it's a perfectly serviceable thriller with decent performances and enough conflict/action to keep you interested.