Customer Reviews

Swimming with Sharks (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

People see parallels with "The Player", which is valid, but I see "Sweet Smell of Success" in the biting dialogue and ammoral behavior.

This is a Hollywood sleeper, the inside story of a studio. It is said to be based on a big producer who is still in the biz.

Spacey just destroys Frank Whaley, turning him from a film school idealist to a killer. The best line is when Spacey informs Whaley of the facts of Hollywood life.

"You can't sleep your way to the top, like Dawn. We're guys. We gotta fight, and scratch, and claw our way up the ladder."

Don't wanna give away the ending, because like "The Player" it is genius, but it is absolutely damning. Check this out.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STRAVERSCA@AOL.COM

What I found curious though, was how they packaged this film on the cover. Hilarious?! This is not a comedy, trust me. It's a very dark, twisted drama if anything. Kevin Spacey plays a demanding studio boss who acquires a new intern, played sheepishly by actor Frank Whaley. Look for a cameo by Benicio
Del Toro, long before his Traffic film. What makes this film worth owning is the outstanding dialogue, highly quotable cut
downs, and belittlement that Spacey inflicts on his poor intern.
The intern feels that these are the things he must go through to be a big time sudio boss himself one day. However, when a woman comes between boss and intern, the intern snaps and kidnaps his boss. The intern then tortures him, and makes him realize all the humiliation he inflicted. This film also has a great plot twist you'll never see coming. For me, this film just solidified in my mind what an outstanding actor Kevin Spacey really is!

a classic tale of corporate comeuppance Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley are wonderful.Benicio Del Toro has a cameo as Kevin Spacey's former assistant who has gone on to better things.a must see!

"Swimming with Sharks" is a film that strives to do well considering its limitations and eventually succeeds by a wonderful powerhouse performance from Kevin Spacey. The film essentially has been given a boost by actors who where relative unknowns for their time - Spacey, Del Toro and Whaley. This would have been your average low-budget TV film about Hollywood if Spacey and Del Toro where not there. The script itself has been written for budget restrictions. Nearly all the movie takes place inside a business office. The film does suffer from looking like a high-end production that ends up being bad, but is in fact a low-end production that ends up being good. It depends on which angle you take it from and mainly because this film was released in mass after Spacey became well known through films like "The Usual Suspects" and "Seven". Many people found it a great movie but lacking the kind of budget they expected. Yes, this movie could be described as some of those more "unknown" films that suddenly pop out from nowhere when an actor breaks into the big time like all those early films which claim to show a nude Leo DeCaprio. It does fit into the category or "resurrected early works".

However "Swimming with Sharks" is actually a very good movie about an extremely simple premise. Film producer executive from hell hires an assistant who he proceeds to psychologically rip apart at any given opportunity. Assistant looses the plot and plans to torture his boss to death. Its the sort of film that has mass appeal because people can relate to it. Spacey is excellent as the sadistic producer and Whaley is good, but not great, as the tortured assistant turning torturer - literally.

There is a sub-plot about a woman director who moves between the two men and the ending is somewhat unrealistic or surreal but not totally out of place. The ending is darker than the rest of the film which is more comical in nature. Even for all its misfires and dud plot lines this is a film that should be watched for Spacey doing the horrible boss routine and for that alone the film can be forgiven for all its more minor mistakes.

Simply Spacey.

This film is for everybody who ever wanted to be in the movie biz.

The movie is very simple, with just three main characters, and has the least complicated of plots: it simply deals with a tormenting employer, and how his tormented employee avenges his tormentor; simple, isn't it? Yet, I am amazed as to how one can make such a masterpiece considering it has the most of the trite of plots. The reason to this is also simple: a bit of outré 'creativity' by the movie-director, and of course, Mr. Kevin Spacey.
The movie wouldn't be half as good without Spacey, who is the life of the movie. Though he plays the part of the villain, he is more adorable than anyone else in the movie. The whole of the 90 min. of the movie is full of Spacey, and his mordant dialogues. Though one is supposed to feel sorry for Frank Whaley, for the inclement treatment he receives from Spacey, one doesn't. On the contrary, one rather wants that Spacey continue this treatment, so that he (Spacey) could continue treating the viewer with his fantabulous dialogue-delivery of some of the most acerbic dialogues ever written. It is amazing that one actually ends up laughing throughout the major part of this otherwise subfusc movie, thanks to Spacey.
Though Spacey has got a lot to do with making this movie, a treat to watch, the exceptional direction is also worth a mention. Though George Huang had nothing much to play with, as far as this movie is concerned, which mainly consists of exchange of dialogues, and very little of anything else, with some 'intelligent' creativity from him, he has managed to make this a very interestingly directed movie. The interesting direction comes from the really weird arrangement of the movie, especially the non-chronological ordering of the scenes.
The climax of the movie is unpredictable, and one of the best ever. The whole course of the movie changes drastically in the last five minutes. As a matter of fact, though the movie puts on a funny façade throughout, one actually feels quite sad after the movie ends, feeling sorry for Michelle Forbes, especially. This is where beauty lies in the movie: though it makes you laugh throughout, you actually feel 'punched in the face', at the end. The movie truly exemplifies the 'dog-eat-dog' world, in which all of us live.

This movie is hilarious. This movie which involves an egotisitcal bigwig of Keystone Pictures - Buddy Ackerman(Spacey) and his new assistant - Guy(Frank Whaley). Buddy treats guy basically like a piece of meat..go get this go get that. He back stabs him and doesn't give him the credit he deserves. But, sure enough, Guy turns the tables on Buddy is a weird series of tortures and insults. The movie has a twist at the end that will surprise you.

Kevin Spacey is incredible with the part of Buddy Ackerman. He deserves better than what the critics have said about this movie. It is a must see for anyone who like black comedy.

Frank Whaley is ostensibly the star of this blackest of comedies but it's Kevin Spacey who steals the show. His performance as Buddy Ackerman - heartless Hollywood powerbroker behind "ball-shaking" action blockbusters - will have you cringing and crying with laughter at the same time. But it isn't all gags, or at least its gags have a higher purpose - and that's the real genius of this film. Beneath the heinous abuse and delightful revenge, George Huang has delivered a tightly written commentary on how the "career vs. creativity" struggle can torture even the most well-intended innocent into a shape he would scarcely recognise. And its satire on the politics of power doesn't only apply to Hollywood. The manipulations and humiliations, at least in spirit, will be familiar to office workers everywhere. This is a terrific movie, which perhaps suffered by being released almost simultaneously with Spacey's breakthrough films - "Seven" and "The Usual Suspects". Had it been released a year or two later, I can't help thinking Spacey would have earned an Oscar for it and dragged George Huang's wonderful screenplay to the podium with him. Or perhaps Hollywood isn't quite ready to reward a film which tells it like it is.

I think this is Spacey's best work, and it's the movie that made me a fan of his. If you're a Spacey fan or you like odd/dark comedies, then this movie is definiately for you! Don't pass this one up.

In 1994 this little movie didn't exactly storm the world. However after Kevin Spaceys hard hitting roles in Se7en and The Usual Suspects more people began to take note. This hilarious film has some of the funniest insults ever put on to the screen. Frank Whaley is a very underated actor but is probably most memorable for his part as Brett in Pulp Fiction. This film is chock-a-block of great performances and really great writing and direction. Be sure to be paying full attention during the "Sweet and Low" scene, absolute classic. And my Oh my, what a twist.