Dark Water

Review by Clint Morris

The old American retool of popular Japanese horror movies... Like a fresh bag of prawn crackers they were great to start with (The Ring) - but after a dozen or so, especially once they lose their taste, their about as welcome as a cow teat in a carton of milk.

So can the yankie remake of Dark Water rise above all expectations?

In a word : No.

It's as 'been there, done that' as the previous few entries in the field (hello Ring 2!), but if anything can be said for it - it's got good performances, a surprisingly effective finale and Affonso Beato's cinematography is as fine as silver.

Jennifer Connelly (seemingly coaxed into it by an agent who suspected she needed to do some lighter fare) stars as Dahlia Williams, a woman in the midst of a vicious custody battle with her ex-husband (Dougray Scott). Dahlia needs to find a home, and quick, for her daughter Ceci (Ariel Gade).

One thing leads to another and her purse forms a relationship with a broken-down fairly average high-rise flat in Roosevelt Island.

Before they've even unpacked, strange things happen. A dark stream of water drips from the elevator - and later, through the roof of their new apartment. This leads to a yarn about a young girl that's disappeared, a ceiling that's seemingly alive and a little peckish, and a ghost that's a little cheesed.

If it weren't so all-over-the-place Dark Water may have been a pretty good movie. The performances (Connelly, Roth, Postlethwaite, Reilly) are all quite good, and the film's look is rather stunning. The film grabs you from the get-go, but seemingly unlatches you from its clutch about halfway through once it becomes a little unsure of itself.

Time to give the Japanese horror hits a rest, Hollywood.

2.5 out of 5

Dark Water
Australian release: Thursday the 20th of October, 2005
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite, Ariel Gade.
Director: Walter Salles.
Website: Click here.

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