REVIEW: ‘Swimfan’ is worth the watch — Grade B
The idea may not be new or even fresh, but “Swimfan” actually makes it off the starting platform and surges to the finish line.
Taking a look that this movie, the most logical place to start is in the direction. Australian director John Poulson makes his feature debut with this slightly water-logged story. But the surprise is, he pulls it off. His staccato style of editing gives the film an edge.
In short, the director was better than the script he was given to work with. The script was full of plot holes and tired thriller clichés. It was predictable and could have been like every other thriller aimed at the younger movie goers. But Poulson gives the film more than that.
He cared about the characters and made them more than they were. He helped develop them into something more realistic than those in the all-too-overused comparison “Fatal Attraction.”
And while we are in the comparison lane, this film did have more believable characters and a great deal more tension between them. Unlike Glenn Close’s Alex, who was far more psycho than believable, “Swimfan’s” characters are life-like – for the most part.
Poulson takes a rather traditional approach to directing in this genre of psycho thrillers. On the surface, the film is played very straight. But lurking under the water is sustained tension and some very effective frights.
Jesse Bradford plays Ben Cronin, the high school soft jock with a past. This thankfully gives his character some real depth. True, this is not high artistry. But, for a teen actor, he handles it with care and craft, better than seen from the normal “Teen People” crowd.
He develops a guy who is not merely another virtuous, kind and all-loving male undone by the advances of a crafty woman. True, that does happen, but at least he has a very human and realistic charm that makes this film work.
Perhaps the draw-back for me was Erika Christensen, who plays Madison Bell, the film’s resident psycho. She was very one-sided and never really showed you anything but psycho. What would have made her character more believable is an innocence before the kill.
But with that said, she does give herself over to the character and plays it with more tenacity than others in her shoes. She is a thoughtful and beautiful actress playing a killer. This makes her fascinating. She is not an anorexic teen star like other actresses are. That is refreshing.
Overall, this film is not going to win any Oscars, but it is worth the watch. Not everything turns out perfect when lives are returned to the way they were. Opportunities were missed and wounds take time to heal. Sounds almost like real life.