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Friday, October 4, 2024

Under Paris 2024 * * * Stars

KNUCKLE UNDER

Most shark movies have an uber-happy ending or fruition moment. They just do. I mean even Jaws had a contented windup (didn't it?). 2024's Under Paris, well it doesn't possess that untroubled trait mind you. It concludes like some lukewarm Twilight Zone episode or a setup for a sequel, telling the audience that the nightmare ain't over yet. "It will be carnage". Oh fo sho. 

So yeah, we've seen these kinds of flicks recycled and reclaimed relentlessly for the past 50 years. Yup, filmmakers always have a need for um, a bigger boat. Whether it's digital video (Open Water), mother nature (Sharknado), or deep cage diving (2017's 47 Meters Down), there's always room for more swipe about long-bodied marine fish salivating to get their kill on. Under Paris, well it's about a deadly shark and her kin hanging out for blood in the rivers of the "City of Light". Hey, you see it every day, like Don Lino chilling in Lake Huron (har har).   

Starring the likes of Berenice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, and Lea Leviant, Under Paris is more of a shark drama than a shark horror fest. I mean sure there's some barbarity with monster, shark attack payoffs in the second and third act (pun intended). But for much of "Under's" 101-minute runtime you rarely see the darn thing, like Hitchcockian stints on overload. 

Director Xavier Gens, well he helms Under Paris as if he's giving the viewer a slick action thriller a la VOD. It also appears like he's occasionally fashioning a pseudo talkie with decent acting, nice French locales, and some nice, Seine river tracking shots. Hey, don't fret though, the whole shebang is worth recommending anyway. Just grab a beer, a slice of gooey 'za, and become infested, I mean invested in the genre tonic that is Under Paris. Natch.  

Written by Jesse Burleson

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