Stars: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Jerry Levine, Roy Dotrice, Benicio Del Toro, Patrick Fischler, Matthew Flynt, T. E. Russell

Director: George Huang

Summary: Guy (Frank Whaley), a film executive's assistant, has to endure nearly constant abuse from his boss, Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey). As the resentment piles up, Guy finally snaps and takes revenge on Buddy in this ultra-dark comedy from first-time director (and former Hollywood assistant) George Huang.

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Swimming with Sharksis a worthwhile contribution to the extensive list of films in which Hollywood savages itself and its local manners. In flashbacks we watch junior executive Guy remorselessly humiliated by his boss Buddy; in the film's present time, Guy breaks into Buddy's house and brutalises and tortures him in return.

What makes the film work is inevitably Kevin Spacey's savage performance as Buddy, a bully and a toady who had a heart once but gave it up to his career producing schlock; though Buddy rants and raves and delivers killer one-liners, much of the strength of the performance is in subtle work with his eyes. Frank Whaley is almost equally fine as Guy in all the two-hander scenes; while Michelle Forbes is convincing as the woman director who forms a tentative alliance with Guy. George Huang's direction is perfectly competent: it never gets in the way of his fine script and the extraordinary performances.

On the DVD:Swimming with Sharkscomes to DVD in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. There's an extensive commentary by George Huang in which he talks us through his years of misery in a junior studio job and is entertaining about all the horrid bosses whose bad behaviour--abuse, exploitation, pretending to praise him to a dead phone--he has combined into Buddy. He is also charmingly modest about the major if abrasive contribution Kevin Spacey made to the film, not only as actor but also as someone who would always tell a director if he did something less than brilliant. --Roz Kaveney

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Interactive Menu
Year:	1995
Release Date:	September 19, 2005
Runtime:	95 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P P A 1513
Keywords:	With, General, Sharks, Swimming, Drama
Genre:	Drama