Phantom DVD Review

Phantom is a direct to dvd “thriller” starring sadly Ed Harris and David Duchovny. It brings a new meaning to being loosely based on a true story, it’s “inspired” by K-129 Crisis of 1968. However the true motives of that mission is still classified so the film is pure speculation. Some hacky director called Todd Robinson who hasn’t really done much of note also directs it.

The story is basically this Soviet Navy Captain Demi (Ed Harris) is a total fuck up (causes deaths of his crew, alcoholic etc.) is given command of this top-secret mission. He has screwed up so many times it’s his chance to command any submarine and it will be last assignment. When they set off on the mission a couple KGB agents them and David Duchovny plays one. The KGB agents naturally have more sinister ulterior motives with this mission and it becomes a battle for the control of the ship.

The film is pretty much a total more from start to finish and so much even its brief 95-minute running times don’t save it. The film in the beginning has a brief supernatural element involving hallucinations of a dog but it’s very short and it eventually becomes this battle between Ed Harris and Duchovny. The actors try their best with the material but it’s full of clichés and they clearly did it for the paycheck. The film has been criticised for the lack of Russian accents with the actors. I don’t have a issue with this I rather have actors use their natural voice than a bad put on accent for the sake of fake authenticity.

Phantom does however a interesting idea of them being the one step from full out nuclear apocalypse but like many things in the film it sinks to the bottom of the sea. The film also features a ending so sentimental it would make Steven Spielberg blush. It’s not one of the worst films I’ve ever seen but it’s certainly going to end up on my top 10 worse films of 2013.