The Big Blue
Release date: 1988-05-10
Votes: 1483
Genres: Romance, Drama, Adventure
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest -- determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear -- Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
Reviews
Andres Gomez
Introspective story with a good Jean Reno and innocent Rosanna Arquette. Sound track, for those loving Eric Sierra. Not for all tastes. A little bit too long but entartaining.
Filipe Manuel Neto
**A film unjustly forgotten these days.** I confess that I didn't quite know what to expect from this movie. All I knew was that it was wildly successful in the decade it was released, and that nowadays hardly anyone remembers it. It is directed by Luc Besson, a French director whom I respect and consider competent. The screenplay is based on the relationship between Jacques and Enzo (I assume one will be French and the other Italian). They are childhood friends, but grow apart shortly after the accidental death of Jacques' father. Already in adult life, the two become apnea diving champions and rivals for the world title of the specialty. The story works reasonably well, but it skids a lot on the amorous subplot created around the character of Johana Baker, which feels very underwritten. The film has a strong French cast led effectively by Jean Reno, who is one of the best French actors working today, at least for me. He gives his character a dour humor and a certain sassiness that I felt was very fitting. Jean-Marc Barr also does a good job, but he lacks Reno's charisma and presence. Rosanna Arquette is beautiful, elegant, but nothing more than a pretty face for the film. The material she received is downright poor. Luc Besson likes the sea, and films where the cinematography and the soundtrack artistically dominate and absorb our senses. With this film, he gives us all that, in generous doses, thanks to the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, magnificently filmed in superb scenes, below and above the water level, and to an excellent soundtrack, by Eric Serra. The editing was also very well directed and the film has a very pleasant pace. All of these are reasons to revisit and revalue a film that seems to me to be unfairly forgotten.
Movie Recommendation
The Last Battle1983-04-06The plot explores the devastation of civilization and issues of brutality, hostility and isolation. Pierre Jolivet stars as the main character (identified only as "The Man" in the end credits) who is menaced by "The Brute" (played by Jean Reno) on his journey through a world filled by people rendered nearly mute by some unknown incident.More...
The Restaurant1966-09-09A great French restaurant's owner, Monsieur Septime, is thrust into intrigue and crime, when one of his famous guests disappears.More...
Subway1985-04-10Fred, a raffish safe blower, takes refuge in the Paris Metro after being chased by the henchmen of a shady businessman from whom he has just stolen some documents. While hiding out in the back rooms and conduits of the Metro, Fred encounters a subterranean society of eccentric characters and petty criminals.More...
The Grand Highway1987-03-25Louis, a nine-year-old boy from Paris, spends his summer vacation in a small town in Brittany. His mother Claire has lodged him with her girlfriend Marcelle and her husband Pelo while she's having her second baby. There Louis makes friends with Martine, the ten-year- old girl next door, and learns from her about life.More...
War of the Buttons1962-04-18For generations, two rival French villages, Longueverne and Velrans, have been at war. But this is no ordinary conflict, for the on-going hostilities are between two armies of young schoolboys. When he is beaten by his father for having lost his buttons, the leader of the Longueverne army, Lebrac, has an idea which will give his side the advantage: next time, he and his brave soldiers will go in battle without their clothes...More...
Rambo III1988-05-24Combat has taken its toll on Rambo, but he's finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo's friend and mentor Col. Trautman asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but must reconsider when Trautman is captured.More...
La Femme Nikita1990-02-21A beautiful felon, sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a policeman, is given a second chance – as a secret political assassin controlled by the government.More...
Fan-Fan the Tulip2003-06-20In this 2003 remake of the classic 1952 French film, Fanfan la Tulipe is a swashbuckling lover who is tricked into joining the army of King Louis XV by Adeline La Franchise, who tells Fanfan that by doing so, he will eventually marry one of the king's daughtersMore...
Raining Cats and Frogs2003-12-03It's a catastrophe! A flood has hit our planet and an unusual group of people are all that remains. Led by Ferdinand, a modern day Noah, this little group have managed to defy the furiously raging elements. People and animals alike are dragged through this incredible whirlpool of an adventure.More...
Outpost2008-03-11In a seedy bar in a town ravaged by war, scientist and businessman Hunt hires mercenary and former Royal Marine D.C. to assemble a crack team of ex-soldiers to protect him on a dangerous journey into no-man's land. Their mission is to scope out an old military bunker in Eastern Europe. It should be easy – 48 hours at the most. Lots of cash for little risk. Or so he says...More...
Strange Gardens2003-03-26Lucien, 14, can’t understand why his father, a serious and respected teacher, makes a fool of himself by dressing up as a clown and giving a show. André, Lucien’s father’s best friend, feels for the teenager and decides to reveal something from their mutual past that will explain the reason for Lucien’s father’s strange behavior.More...
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie2006-10-06The boys get arrested for robbing an ATM machine and spend 18 months in jail, upon release they decide to pull off "The Big Dirty", a plan to steal a large amount of coins because they are untraceable and quit their life of crime forever.More...
Logorama2009-05-16Two cops portrayed by Michelin Men chase an armed Ronald McDonald through the streets of a fictionalized, stylized city.More...
Tin Men1987-03-06A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.More...
The Impossible Voyage1904-11-10Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.More...
Charlots Go to Spain1972-12-14Four friends from Paris are living misadventures of all sorts in Spain when their group of travelers is forced to split due to a travel scam.More...
Run Silent, Run Deep1958-03-27The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His singleminded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unneccessary danger.More...
Camille Claudel1988-12-07The life of Camille Claudel, a French sculptor who becomes the apprentice of Auguste Rodin and later his lover. Her passion for her art and Rodin drive her further away from reason and rationality.More...
Firewalker1986-11-21A pair of adventurers try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/Apache horde of gold.More...
Asphalt Playground2013-03-27Mitraillette is 12 years old and lives in Rose City, a housing estate he would not leave for anything. His whole world comprises his family, especially his 16 year-old cousin Isma, who has taken a fancy to Narcisse, the local crime boss. His older brother Djibril is 22, a student at the Sorbonne who dreams of becoming a lawyer. As for Mitraillette, he has his eye on Océane, the most beautiful girl in his school...More...
Similar Movies
Summer League
2013-03-18When Allie (Danielle Evon Ploeger) returns home during her final college summer break, she doesn't anticipate staying long, but that all changes when there's a death in the family and Allie inherits her childhood home. Her life-long BFF, Kenzie (Kelsey Thomas) helps her deal with her loss, and other family drama, by forcing her to join The Browncoats, the team she captains in the small town's co-ed softball league. Kenzie's advice for Allie is simple... When life sucks, just grab your glove, and grab a ball. Everything just sort of fades away when you're playing catch.Girl in the Glass
1960-11-09The film starts with a short scene ending with shot of Sayuri Yoshinaga's character floating dead on the surface of a lake before the opening credits roll in and we find out what lead her character to this end.Wristcutters: A Love ...
2007-10-19Zia, distraught over breaking up with his girlfriend, decides to end it all. Unfortunately, he discovers that there is no real ending, only a run-down afterlife that is strikingly similar to his old one, just a bit worse. Discovering that his ex-girlfriend has also "offed" herself, he sets out on a road trip to find her.Bambi II
2006-01-26Return to the forest and join Bambi as he reunites with his father, The Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn on his own. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers there is much he can learn from his spirited young son.Mr. Woodcock
2007-09-14Taken aback by his mother's wedding announcement, a young man returns home in an effort to stop her from marrying his old high school gym teacher, a man who made high school hell for generations of students.Slap Shot
1977-02-25To build up attendance at their games, the management of a struggling minor-league hockey team signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard-charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition.Quo Vadis
1951-11-08After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.Porco Rosso
1992-07-18In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.Solino
2002-09-23The movie portrays the story of an Italian family emigrated in Germany in the 1970s. Romano (Gigi Savoia), the father, decides to open a pizzeria which, by mutual decision with the wife Rosa (Antonella Attili), will call Solino, leaving his sons Gigi and Giancarlo to work there. A hostile relationship comes to life between the father and his sons, which will end up in the escape of the boys from family.Mamma Mia!
2008-07-03A spirited young bride-to-be living with her single mother on a small Greek island secretly invites three of her mother's ex-boyfriends in hope of finding her biological father to walk her down the aisle.Sex Drive
2008-10-16A high school senior drives cross-country with his best friends to hook up with a babe he met online.Electroma
2006-05-21Two robots embark on a quest to become human.The Doom Generation
1995-10-20Jordan White and Amy Blue, two troubled teens, pick up an adolescent drifter, Xavier Red. Together, the threesome embarks on a sex- and violence-filled journey through a United States of psychos and quickie marts.Eight Men Out
1988-09-02Buck Weaver and Hap Felsch are young idealistic players on the Chicago White Sox, a pennant-winning team owned by Charles Comiskey - a penny-pinching, hands-on manager who underpays his players and treats them with disdain. And when gamblers and hustlers discover that Comiskey's demoralized players are ripe for a money-making scheme, one by one the team members agree to throw the World Series. But when the White Sox are defeated, a couple of sports writers smell a fix and a national scandal explodes, ripping the cover off America's favorite pastime.The Longshots
2008-08-22The true story of Jasmine Plummer who, at the age of eleven, became the first female to play in Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.My Best Friend's Girl...
2008-09-19Lovestruck Dustin is dating Alexis, his ideal girlfriend, but when she dumps him for coming on too strong, Dustin takes drastic measures to win her back. He asks his best friend Tank to take her on the worst rebound date imaginable - his side job - so that she will come running back to him, and Tank reluctantly agrees. However, Alexis is more than a match for Tank's shock tactics and he begins to really fall for her, leaving him torn between loyalty to Dustin and his growing attraction toward Alexis.On My Own
1993-07-02Simon Henderson is at boarding school in Canada while his father works in Hong Kong, and his mother lives in England. When his parents visit him in the holidays, Simon discovers that his mother has schizophrenia.Invincible
2006-08-25Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale, a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.A Pain in the Ass
1973-09-20Ralf Milan, a hitman, arrives in Montpellier to kill an important witness. He checks in a hotel without knowing that his neighbour has become neurotic after his wife left him.Bloodsport
1988-02-26An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.