"I know a way to not be like this. I know a way to get money." Captain Robinson (Law) is a submarine captain who has just been told he is no longer needed. When he tells his crew about this they are wondering what the next step in their lives will be. The idea comes up about trying to salvage a sunken sub full of Nazi gold and they agree to look for it. What starts off as a way to make money becomes something so much more. This is a movie that I can not do justice to in a review. The movie is nothing amazing and is not a classic but this is one of the biggest surprises I have seen in a while. I was sucked in right away and was interested and intrigued all the way until the end, which seemed to come almost too soon. This movie takes all the great aspects of a heist movie and moves the setting to a claustrophobic submarine. I could go on about how much I liked this movie but I will just say this is one you have to see to understand. I recommend this. Overall, nothing that will win awards or become a classic, but it was entertaining and very much worth your time. I really enjoyed this. I give it a B+.

Black Sea is a disappointing and tepid thriller not helped because it is too by the numbers and clichéd.

Submarine thrillers are hard to do hence why so few succeed. Director Kevin Macdonald has lot his footing in this plodding film.

Jude Law (Robinson) plays an experienced submarine captain now made redundant. A friend gets him snared into a scheme with some financial backers to head off to the Black sea in some rickety submarine to search for a sunken treasure of Nazi gold.

The crew are of half British and half Russian and they mutually distrust each other. It is not helped that Law's accent moves from being Scots to Russian and South African.

However the script does not help because in a film like this there has to be tension, chicanery and people acting like stock film characters who do things almost expected from two dimensional characters. So the characters do stupid things to drive the story along.

Law despite his wavering accent does his best to keep this submarine steady, as someone whose desperation for the loot makes you uncertain whether he cares for the safety of his fractious crew. Overall a disappointing film.

I've always enjoyed a good submarine thriller and this is a fine addition to that genre. Lower budgeted and less bombastic than some, but the lack of big action and endless CGI makes it tighter and more compelling, and far more realistic too: none of that fake Hollywood happy ending rubbish here, just a tough men-on-a-mission movie with the future uncertain. Jude Law is very good, headlining a strong cast of character actors, many of whom have their chance to shine along the way. The film's cinematography is excellent and the colours particularly rich and vivid. A slow burner at times, but it builds to a real rush at the climax.