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FEAR BELOW (2025)
4 stars
Signature Entertainment. Digital Platforms 19 May and DVD 9 June
When a van containing stolen gold bullion careens off the road and ends up in a river, it soon sinks to the bottom, much to the chagrin of gang leader Dylan ‘Bull’ Murdock (Jake Ryan). After his right hand man Janusz (Josh McConville) shoots the driver, for causing the accident, Bull must decide how they are going to retrieve their ill gotten gains. ‘What we need is divers’ he declares.
As luck, and plots, would have it they turn up a small business, which is facing financial difficulties, and talk to the boss Ernie (Arthur Angel). He has no choice but take the job, which is a ‘no questions asked’ type of engagement. This despite the objections of his crew of feisty Clara (Hermione Cornfield) and aboriginal Jimmy (Jacobs Junior Nayinggul).
They kit up with their diving gear – the kind with the big metal helmet and heavy boots. Entering the murky waters they locate the sunken vehicle. Then something hits Clara and cuts her airline. Luckily Jimmy manages to save her. They realise it’s an unusually large bull shark, which can be found in rivers. They are soon in a race against time and the deadly denizen in the waters. Add to that the pressure above the surface from the increasingly agitated and impatient gangster and his sidekick.
I enjoyed this variation on the ubiquitous shark movie mixing in a crime thriller to keep things interesting. Set just after the Second World War, this is a nicely pitched period piece from Australia, with good effects work for the shark – aided by the cloudy, mucky river. Cornfield is fine as the slightly strident, no messing Clara, though some of the other acting on show here is a little wobbly. Builds to tense finale – which you know is only going to end in a blood soaked manner.
Steve Kirkham
