 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Swimming With Sharks - DVD
Writer: George HuangDirector: George Huang Producer: Steve Alexander & Joanne Moore Studio: Vidmark Characters: Kevin Spacey - Buddy Ackerman Frank Whaley - Guy Michelle Forbes - Dawn Lockard Benicio Del Toro - Rex Review DVD provided by Video-Now! Features: Standard and widescreen formats, Interactive menus, Digitally mastered, Cast Information, English 2.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish & French subtitled, Theatrical Trailer. Review: In 1995 Kevin Spacey had a very good year. He had not one, not two, but three breakout performances in one year. He had the role of Verbal Kent in The Usual Suspects, John Doe is Seven, and of course Buddy Ackerman in Swimming With Sharks. Now, technically speaking, Swimming With Sharks was released in 1994, but most people didn't see it until 1995. Also, Spacey had outstanding roles prior to this as well, including a role in Glengarry Glen Ross, which was an actor's dream project. Still, 1995 was the year that Kevin Spacey went from a supporting role actor to a guy who could carry a film by himself, and he won the Oscar to prove it (for his role in The Usual Suspects). Swimming With Sharks tells the story of Guy (Frank Whaley), a lowly personal assistant for big time hot-shot producer Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey). Now, being the personal assistant for Buddy Ackerman has its perks, the chief perk being that anyone who's survived has gone on to do very big and very good things. The drawback is that you have to work for Buddy Ackerman, easily the world's most toxic boss. Thrown into the mix is Dawn Lockard (Michelle Forbes), another producer at the same studio who wants to make "important" films. Guy and Dawn try to have a romance, but Buddy keeps getting in the way by tugging on Guy's leash whenever Dawn and him get close. Writer/director George Huang has claimed that the role of Buddy Ackerman is based on nobody, but I can feel traces of late producer Don Simpson in the character. Simpson was notorious for his outrageous behaviour, abusing his assistants, and of course, obsessing over his hair. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Simpson, he's also the man responsible for countless loud and dumb action movies. From Top Gun to The Rock, he did 'em all. Swimming With Sharks is a film which should be watched for its performances, and it holds up here in spades. Not only does Spacey deliver an amazing performance as the vile Buddy Ackerman, but he's surrounded by great talent like Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes. Even the most minor of minor roles, Buddy's outgoing assistant, is filled by none other than Benicio Del Toro. The DVD is presented in a letterboxed widescreen presentation, but sadly it's not enhanced for widescreen displays. On the flip side of the disc is a pan and scan version of the film. The transfer of the film is good, with solid colours and a nice picture. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and works with the heavy dialogue nature of the film. The extras are minimal, consisting mainly of a trailer which explains why nobody saw the film, trailers for some other Trimark releases (including the excellent Cube), and some small amounts of outdated cast information (the disc is a little old now). If you're a Kevin Spacey fan, you can't miss this film, it's some of his best work. If you're a fan of inside-hollywood pictures, you can't miss this, it's one of the best. If you're a fan of revenge flicks, you simply can't miss this film. Don't miss it. Rent it if you don't trust me, but you'll end up buying it in the end. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
copyright ®1999