Video Review |
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Video Review |
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Last Updated 04/01/02
Email: robitai@our-town.com
Swimming With Sharks
In
"Swimming with Sharks," you won't find any of the ocean-swimming
variety. The shark featured in this
movie is the two-legged, suit-wearing kind, but his bite is just as painful as a
Great White. This is a movie about revenge. It's not always pretty, but it's
worth a look if you've ever had an abusive boss, or if you are one.
Guy
(Frank Whaley), a recent film school graduate, lands the job to launch his
career: assistant to Buddy Ackerman, studio executive.
Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) changes assistants the way most people change
socks, but it appears that their association with Ackerman always opens doors
for enviable positions. Apparently, other executives snap up these Ackerman
protegees for their survival skills. They've worked for Ackerman and lived to
tell about it.
Ackerman
practices leadership according to the Manual of Mean. He tells Guy, "You're
an idiot. You know nothing. You
feel nothing. Shut up. Listen and learn."
Screaming is the order of the day, and personal insults fly like bullets.
In one scene, Ackerman flies into a frenzy when Guy brings him a packet of pink
coffee sweetener instead of a blue one. Prone to hurl coffee cups and office
equipment along with the verbal abuse, Ackerman's disdain never relents.
Guy
finds solace in a relationship with Dawn Lockard (Michelle Forbes) whose
executive producer status makes her far more important than he. Ackerman's past
dalliances with her give him extra ammunition.
He betrays Guy in an important movie deal, further humiliating him.
How
much can one person take? One day, Guy vows revenge, and he knows how to get it.
The dynamics of this movie reminded me of an Alan Ackborn play.
Much of the time, exaggerated situations create comedy. Then suddenly
everything shifts, and that laughter you experienced earlier becomes a knot in
your stomach.
Kevin
Spacey gives a memorable performance, especially when the tide turns. Thoroughly
convincing as the boss from Hades, Spacey could have stolen all the scenes from
the cowering Guy. That never happens thanks to Spacey's sense of timing and his
ability to shift the brand of pain that he inflicts.
The
ending won't be what you expected. As a matter of fact, I hit rewind and watched
it twice just to be sure I understood it. This is a movie about choices. If you
choose to swim with sharks, you'd better be prepared to fight, or die.
Rated
R for some scenes of psychological/physical torture and pervasive strong
language.
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