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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Salesrank: 34576
Released: December 26, 2005 |
| Our Price: $1.92 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Far more terrifying than what was seen in theaters, this special unrated version of DARK WATER is a thoroughly absorbing, suspense-filled thriller starring Jennifer Connelly. Dahlia Williams (Connelly) and her 5-year-old daughter are ready to begin a new life together. But their new apartment — dilapidated and worn — suddenly seems to take on a life of its own. Mysterious noises, persistent leaks of dark water, and other strange happenings in the deserted apartment above send Dahlia on a haunting and mystifying pursuit — one that unleashes a torrent of living nightmares.
Description of Dark Water (Unrated Widescreen Edition):
In many ways Dark Water improves upon the memorable Japanese film it's based on. The earlier version was directed by Hideo Nakata (whose excellent shocker Ringu was remade in America as The Ring), but in the hands of director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias, this psychological horror story gets an intelligent and more chillingly effective overhaul. The story is rooted in themes of love and loss that Yglesias similarly explored in his excellent screenplay for Peter Weir's Fearless, here focusing on young mother Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly) as she endures difficult divorce proceedings and settles into a low-rent apartment in New York's cramped Roosevelt Island community, near Manhattan, with her young daughter Cecilia (Ariel Gade). Amidst seemingly endless rainfall, Dahlia's world slowly unravels, and Connelly is superb as a woman seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or is she? Could it be that Cecilia's imaginary friend, and the apartment's persistent leaks of dark, dripping water, are the ghostly manifestations of a young girl who had been abandoned by the previous tenant? Creepy atmosphere and high anxiety are expertly maintained by Salles, and supporting roles for Tim Roth, John C. Reilly and especially Pete Postlethwaite give the film an added edge of mystery. The tension builds slowly (gore-mongers and action fans may be disappointed), but the cumulative effect is palpably unnerving, inviting favorable comparison to Rosemary's Baby. Unlike some other remakes of Japanese horror hits, Dark Water doesn't feel redundant; it stands on its own thanks to the impressive work of everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon
Dark Water (Unrated Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
Same old, same old it deserves 0 stars 
2009-11-14 - This is by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen and is definetly the worst in it's genre (I think supense, psychological thriller) or at least that's what it's supposed to be. Suspense yeah right, I was digging through my eyeballs trying to stay awake! Let me sum it up, the story sucks, the plot sucks, the action, well there was none. I'll admit this movie did have something going for it, I like the actress & the trailer was intriguing but that's it, after the first 20 minutes you already know it's going to be a disaster & it was, what a HUGE disapointment! It felt like a VERY cheap rip off of The Ring. Basically as I said it's the worse in it's genre, worst than The Grudge, worst than [...], worst than The Skeleton Key (yes, it really is that bad) you name it & it's better than this. Don't waste your money on this nobody liked it, it's JUNK!
Great price for hard-to-find movie! 
2009-09-12 - I'd been looking for this movie for awhile. Wal-mart, Target, etc. No one had it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it on Amazon, used, for only $2.99!
The DVD arrived quickly and nicely packaged.
Deep Dark Water 
2009-08-10 - Dark Water, the first English language movie directed by Brazilian Walter Salles (Central Station, Motorcycle Diaries) is a very good movie. This is the type of intelligent non-slasher horror films that I enjoy. Its power is not in showing gore and roaring monsters but in the creating the atmosphere of unbearable tension and in making the very familiar everyday things and situations ominous, gloomy, and ready to hurt. Dark Water is also about very real and sympathetic characters, a young single mother and her little girl, and the bond and love between them. It is about real monsters of abuse, negligence, and criminal indifference that could and would affect a child's future life and lead to the tragic event at some point. I did not see the original Japanese movie of which Dark Water is a remake but I found this remake set in the creepiest apartment building on the Roosevelt Island, NY imaginable, a very underrated, good on its own merits and certainly worth watching drama/psychological thriller with the elements of supernatural thriller. Acting is first class. Jennifer Connelly in a truly heartbreaking performance as a recently divorced woman trying to move on together with her little daughter deserves a special mention and respect. John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, Pete Postlethwait, and Dougray Scott all made their characters interesting and memorable. It was nice to see Camryn Manheim in a small cameo. Two young girls also were very good. The camera work by Alfonso Beato, who more recently shot the award winning films "All About My Mother" (1999) "Ghost World" (2001), "The Queen" (2006), and "Love in the Time of Cholera" is amazing. The apartment where Dahlia and Cecil moved, had a strong and scary personality, and could be consider another very important film's character. If I add that the original music to the film was written by Angelo Badalamenti, the usual David Lynch's collaborator, you'd have a good idea of the surreal dark atmosphere of the film. I recommend it but do not expect a pure horror flick. Dark Water is deeper than that.
3.5-4.0 of 5
BETTER THAN EXPECTED
2009-07-05 - DARK WATER
This American film based on Hideo Nakata's original movie [which was based on a book so it may not be completely original] is actually a lot better than most American remakes of Asian horror cinema. The first time I watched this movie I was expecting something along the lines of "The Ring" or maybe the "The Grudge" but was pleasantly surprised when this one seemed more surreal. It does an excellent job with the characters and makes the story seem very believable. I had a good time with this one when with others I was really not much of a fan.
Dahlia and her daughter Cecelia are looking for a new apartment on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Cecelia needs to live close to a good school it seems. Dahlia has a new job and at the same time is going through a divorce with a husband that does not trust her judgment. Once they find a place strange things start to happen like a constant water leak that is in her daughter's room. Also add in the strange noises coming from the place above her place and you have a cool little film a brewing. Of course you can't forget that this is a mystery/ghost story at heart.
Director Walter Salles does a nice job in letting the story tell its self instead of pushing things along at a fast pace. He also elects to let the characters build on them selves and actually develop, that seems rare now a days. Also writer Rafael Yglesias [also a writer on the Johnny Depp flick "From Hell] did a nice job in this American version. To be completely honest with you I was not expecting a ghost story like this one from this one. I really felt that it would look like every other remake that has come out since "The Ring".
The thing that really makes this film interesting is the acting from this top notch cast, every one did a good job on this one. Jennifer Connelly is great as Dahlia Williams and makes the character seem like an actual person. Her daughter is played by Ariel Gade who like Jennifer does a great job which is rare for child actors, especially in this type of film. Of course the ever excellent Tim Roth is brilliant in this film as a lawyer who actually comes to this lady's aid when she needs it. John C. Reilly may steal the show some what as the shady land lord who always makes a promise he can not keep. Dougray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite, and Camryn Manheim all also give excellent performances.
As the film goes on it goes from being about pesky neighbors to a ghost story to a crime mystery and it still manages to feel like the same film. This is not the best movie ever and may not be for every body but it definitely will appeal to some. I would recommend this one to any fan of mystery films or ghost stories. By the way the ending to this is excellent.
Jennifer Connely Works
2009-05-22 - I got this movie in Blu-Ray- super quality. Jennifer Connely is hot as always. She's hot, because she's got Heart, and she's beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the acting and the Blu Ray High Def.
