Themes: Treasure Hunts, Obsessive Quests, Terror in the Water
Main Cast: Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte, Louis Gossett, Jr., Eli Wallach
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Peter Benchley, who wrote Jaws, also wrote The Deep. Scuba divers David Sanders and Gail Berke (Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset), assisted by Romer Treece (Robert Shaw), discover a sunken treasure off the Bermuda coast. They also find a stash of narcotics. David and Gail spend the rest of the picture avoiding bad guys who stashed the drugs and want the treasure as well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Initially thought of as a quick cash-in after the immense success of Jaws, The Deep is actually a fun little adventure flick of its own that benefits from its connections to Steven Spielberg's classic tale of coastal horror. Complimented by a superb cast, the film marked the big-screen-starring debut of Nick Nolte, who handles the '70s hero role with a youthful vigor that's exciting to go back and revisit. Of course, most remember The Deep for Jacqueline Bisset's stunning opening diving scene, though it's really Jaws alumni Robert Shaw that keeps the film constantly moving. In one of his last roles before his untimely death, Shaw gives a compelling performance that demands one's attention anytime he appears onscreen. Additionally, Louis Gossett Jr. sustains a formidable presence as the film's villain, giving the character a quiet maniacal edge in his brief string of scenes. As far as director Peter Yates goes, his underwater scenes are lush with brilliant color, while his action creates nice jolts of suspense in such moments as an edge-of-your-seat shark feeding frenzy, as well as the hand-to-hand brawl that's highlighted by an outboard motor being hefted as a weapon! Eli Wallach supplies ample supporting talent to the piece, as does John Barry, whose sweeping score accents the film's romantic treasure-hunt vibe. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Terry Ackland-Snow - Art Director, Jack Maxsted - Art Director, George Justin - Associate Producer, Mike Fenton - Casting, Jane Feinberg - Casting, Tom Bronson - Costume Designer, Ron Talsky - Costume Designer, Derek Cracknell - First Assistant Director, Peter Yates - Director, Robert Wolfe - Editor, David Berlatsky - Editor, John Barry - Composer (Music Score), Edouard Henriques III - Makeup, Stan Waterman - Camera Operator, Al Giddings - Camera Operator, John Palmer - Camera Operator, Tony Masters - Production Designer, Christopher G. Challis - Cinematographer, George Justin - Production Manager, Peter Guber - Producer, Vernon Dixon - Set Designer, Ira Anderson, Jr. - Special Effects, Fred Brown - Sound/Sound Designer, Robin Gregory - Sound/Sound Designer, Howard Curtis - Stunts Coordinator, Jim Nickerson - Stunts Coordinator, Bob Minor - Stunts Coordinator, Richard Washington - Stunts Coordinator, Peter Benchley - Screenwriter, Tracy Keenan Wynn - Screenwriter, Peter Benchley - Book Author
While scuba-diving near shipwrecks off Bermuda, vacationing couple David Sanders (Nick Nolte) and Gail Berke (Jacqueline Bisset) recover a number of artifacts, including an ampule of amber-colored liquid and a medallion bearing the image of a woman and the letters "S.C.O.P.N." and a date, 1714. On the advice of friends, Sanders and Berke seek the advice of lighthouse-keeper and treasure-hunter Romer Treece (Robert Shaw) on the origin of the medallion, who identifies the item as Spanish and takes an interest in the young couple. The ampule is noticed by the man who had rented diving equipment to Sanders and Berke, which in turn attracts the attention of Henri Cloche (Louis Gossett, Jr), a local drug kingpin for whom the shop owner works, and he begins to terrorize the couple. The ampule contains medicinal morphine from the Goliath, a ship that sank during World War II with a cargo of munitions and medical supplies. The wreck of the Goliath is considered dangerous and is posted as off-limits to divers due to the danger of explosions. Treece concludes that a recent storm has exposed her cargo of morphine and unearthed a much older wreck containing Spanish treasure.
Sanders, Berke, and Treece make several dives to the wrecks, recovering thousands of morphine ampules from Goliath and several additional artifacts from the Spanish wreck. The group are attacked by tiger sharks, fed stimulants by Cloche to make them more aggressive and prone to attack the trio as well as a gigantic moray eel dubbed 'Percy' by Treece during these dives. Through research in Treece's library, they reconstruct the history of the lost treasure ship, locate a list of valuable items, including a metallic jar with the letters "EF" engraved on it, and learn the identity of the noblewoman (Isabella Farnese) for whom they were intended. Sanders is determined to locate some of the items on the list to establish provenance; Treece wishes to destroy the Goliath to put the morphine out of reach of Cloche; and Cloche interferes with their efforts so that he can recover the morphine for himself. During a running series of conflicts Adam Coffin (Eli Wallach), the only survivor from Goliath, is killed when he triggers a booby-trap while trying to steal the recovered morphine and Treece's friend Kevin (Robert Tessier) is murdered by one of Cloche's henchmen. A climactic battle during the final dive insues, with Cloche and his divers as well Percy being destroyed in the destruction of the Goliath and the discovery of a gold necklace that provides the needed provenance of the treasure.
