Submerged

[2000, Movie]

Submerged: Review

An uninspired thriller that combines conspiracy theories and disaster movie cliches, pitting mercenary extremists against straight-arrow federal agents and stalwart Navy Seals. The American government is preparing to install Nova One, an anti-missile system. Mercenary Cort (Coolio) snatches the defense satellite for his boss, arms merchant Owen (Tim Thomerson), but subsequently doublecrosses him. The Pentagon is baffled by the theft of a Star Wars device that's useless without the software developed by Buck Stevens (Dennis Weaver), and a CIA plane is commandeered to escort Stevens and his discs to the agency's secure American launch site. Unfortunately, Owen has substituted his own pilot, whose orders are to crash the plane, steal the Nova One discs and swim off to a waiting rescue vessel. As their air runs out, the downed passengers must try to figure out a way to alert naval rescuers, while Navy SEALS divide their efforts between rescuing survivors and stopping Owens from controlling the Nova One and its software. Action fans will be able to anticipate the fates of the plane's various passengers, and there's a certain pleasure in figuring the odds of their survival from scene to scene. --Robert Pardi