Troubled Waters (2006)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Episode: C+
Jennifer Beals is slowly returning to the limelight
after dropping out of sight after Flashdance
was a huge surprise hit in 1983 for reasons we’ll address another time. Here, she is yet another investigator with
some psychic abilities in John Stead’s Troubled
Waters (2006), a thriller (of sorts) about a child kidnapped from a couple
of financial means.
However, we learn early on that there is more to
what’s going on than meets the eye.
Unfortunately, this is still a child-in-jeopardy work that is not
totally exploitive, but mostly disappointing things anyone can do with any film
or TV project. Running 84 minutes, it
sags too often, though the ending is somewhat amusing. The camera still likes Beals, who is the
single reason to see this once.
Otherwise, skip it.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is shot
in digital High Definition video and shows it with that “day never looks like
daytime” look and flat colors. Detail
and slight overexposure in spots constantly on the daylight frames are further
giveaways. Editing has its moments, but
the look is uneven overall. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix not only has very rare surrounds, the poorly recorded location
sound is stuck too much in the center channel, which is flat throughout. This was very obnoxious and if it were any
worse, it would have received a lower rating.
The only extras are four trailers including one for this feature and a
making of for it as well.
- Nicholas
Sheffo
