Phantom Below' (2005) - Brian Trenchard-Smith.

 

Usually I am so profoundly put off by cheap-looking CGI and poor matte work that I then find myself wholly unable to suspend the necessary disbelief to settle back into the movie, but in the exceptional case of 'Phantom Below' I found the tense narrative to be quite gripping and my yen for deeply absorbing submariner combat was more than adequately met. Robust acting performances abound, with an especially creditable display of stoicism by handsome Adrian Paul as the greatly beleaguered Captain Frank Hapley, whose pristine reputation is now very much under threat as his superiors refute his ardent claims that during their last ostensibly peaceful mission their submarine was actively stalked by another rogue, hitherto undocumented vessel mysteriously cloaked with next generation stealth capabilities.

With its alacritous narrative bolstered by a palpable sense of ominously encroaching dread, experienced action director Brian Trenchard-Smith keeps the immersive story buoyant until its satisfyingly intense climax, and budgetary limitations notwithstanding, this made for exciting, if not exactly essential deep sea entertainment. (The version of the film I saw was entitled  'Phantom Below' which I have since discovered is heavily edited to remove all the gay content.)