Below (2002)

Strange happenings occur on a WW II submarine.

Director:

David Twohy

Writers:

Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky

Stars:

Bruce Greenwood, David Crow, Matthew Davis

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Davis	...	Odell (as Matt Davis)
Bruce Greenwood	...	Brice
Holt McCallany	...	Loomis
Dexter Fletcher	...	Kingsley
Nick Chinlund	...	Chief
Olivia Williams	...	Claire
Scott Foley	...	Coors
Andrew Howard	...	Hoag
Christopher Fairbank	...	Pappy
Chuck Ellsworth	...	Navy Pilot
Crispin Layfield	...	Navy Lookout
Jonathan Hartman	...	Schillings
Sebastian Knapp	...	Sonar #1
Max Casali	...	Air Manifold
Alexis Conran	...	Helmsman

Storyline

In the dark silence of the sea during World War II, the submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission. But, for the shell-shocked crew, trapped together in the sub's narrow corridors and constricted spaces, this is about to become a journey into the sensory delusions, mental deceptions and runaway fear that lurk just below the surface of the ocean and deep inside the human psyche.

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Plot Keywords:

submarine | mirror | shipwreck | movie flop | one word title | 

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Taglines:

Six hundred feet beneath the surface terror runs deep

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of Zach Galifianakis first and serious roles.

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Goofs

The diving officer orders the boat to periscope depth, then adds, "66 feet." On a WW2 fleet boat, minimum periscope depth was 55 feet, optimum was 58 feet, and maximum was 62 feet. At 66 feet the scope would have been 4 feet under the surface.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brice: [hands coordinates to Loomis]
Lt. Loomis: This is almost a day behind us, sir.
Lt. Loomis: Well who are they? Americans, Brits, Italians? It doesn't even say.
Brice: Well I think we can assume they're friendly, Mr. Loomis. Besides, it doesn't appear to be a suggestion, does it.

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Crazy Credits

The only thing in the opening credits is the movie's title. Everything else is only shown after the movie is over.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Scariest Deep Sea Movies (2020)

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Soundtracks

Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)
Written by Louis Prima
Performed by Benny Goodman

User Reviews

Eerie as well as intelligent Terror movie in which a frightened crew is trapped into narrow corridors and constricted spaces

Thrilling film about mysterious events happen into a submarine and carried out by a supernatural force ; being compellingly directed by nice filmmaker David Twohy . This fantastic movie packs thrills , chills , violence , horror , suspense with creepy and ghastly underwater scenarios . As six hundred feet beneath the surface terror runs deep . The submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark commanded by officer Brice (Bruce Greenwood) along with crew (Dexter Fletcher ,Nick Chinlund , Scott Foley , Jason Flemyng ,Christopher Fairbank , Sebastian Knapp..) prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission , as they save a little group from a shipwreck , among them appears a woman (Olivia Williams) . But then strange happenings occur on the WW II submarine , as crew suffer runaway fear , astonishing deeds , sensory delusions and scary happenings . As a song was supposed to be mysteriously playing on the record player (the song results to be 'Benny Goodman''s "Sing Sing Sing , With a Swing") and a vengeful ghost haunting the crew . There shows up an evil that lurks just below the surface of the ocean and deep inside the human psyche causing panic , mental deceptions and terror .

This is a terror/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat , though some moments turns out to be confusing and slow-moving . Exciting film packs intrigue , intense scenes , grisly killings and amazing suspense . This is a creepy flick in which ¨U-571¨ meets ¨Poltergeist¨. The star-studded cast is well headed by Bruce Greenwood , Olivia Williams , Matthew Davis and excellent plethora of secondaries as Holt McCallany , Dexter Fletcher , Nick Chinlund , Andrew Howard and Scott Foley . Some filming for this movie took place on an actual WW2 submarine . The USS Silversides -which is available for tours- located in Muskegon Michigan was towed out into the middle of Lake Michigan where scenes with Bruce Greenwood were filmed . The rest of the sets and models used in this movie were all based on the look and layout of the Silversides . Appropriate and suspenseful musical score by Graeme Revell . Atmospheric and colorful cinematography by Ian Wilson .

The motion picture was well written and directed by David Twohy , though Darren Aronofsky, who co-wrote the screenplay, was originally going to direct the film in 1999 but instead made Requiem for a dream (2000). David is an expert writer and director of splendid Sci-Fi movies . As his first picture was the acceptable ¨Timescape¨ and subsequently made ¨The arrival¨ with Charlie Sheen . He also wrote ¨Warlock¨, ¨Waterworld ¨, a script for ¨Alien 3¨ in 1988, but it was rejected . Back in May of 2000, Fox Studios once inquired for his availability to write and direct "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" , but turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts . David subsequently directed this ¨Below¨, the successful ¨Pich Black¨ as well as its sequels ¨ The chronicles of Riddick¨ and his last movie ¨Riddick¨(2013) .

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Proteus

Filming Locations:

Lake Michigan, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$201,431, 13 October 2002

Gross USA:

$605,562

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,622,015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Protozoa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1