A high-concept 2023 survival thriller involving sharks, drug trafficking, and cocaine just washed ashore on Netflix.
It arrives at a time when Netflix’s biggest show also revolves around the drug trade. Six-part series Griselda dropped on January 25 and charts the rise and fall of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco.
This includes everything from the so-called Black Widow’s time in prison to the death of three of her four children. So, in a nutshell, it’s equal parts tragedy and cautionary tale.
By contrast, the latest addition to Netflix’s movie library is a lighter affair – think 2023 horror flick Cocaine Bear, only at sea.
Netflix’s Deep Fear is basically “Cocaine Shark”
That’s the basic gist of Deep Fear, which arrived on Netflix this week. The flick’s official synopsis reads: “Storm-stricken drug traffickers force a yachtswoman to recover their sunken cocaine stash from shark-infested waters.”
Directed by Marcus Adams, Deep Fear stars Mãdãlina Ghenea, Ed Westwick, and Macarena Gómez. It was largely overlooked when it premiered in August 2023, raking in just $134,959 worldwide.
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Deep Fear’s critical reception wasn’t much better, either. With only one professional review on Rotten Tomatoes, the survival thriller doesn’t even qualify for a Tomatometer score. However, it does have an audience rating – a dismal 18%.
“I created an account to rate this movie,” wrote one amateur reviewer. “I gave it 2 stars because the sharks were pretty decent. The rest of the actors, oh dear lord.” “Ridiculous,” declared a second. “She speaks underwater and expects other divers to hear her. Radio is broken yet they’re able to communicate with the helicopter. Terrible acting.”
“Perhaps there are some who will enjoy this film,” opined a third. “Unfortunately, even though I am a diehard creature feature fanatic, I’m not one of them. I can tolerate sharks on cocaine, and other plot holes, but the divers communicating by radio whilst underwater was something I couldn’t abide.”
Will Netflix’s “Cocaine Shark” movie crack the top 10 chart?
Whether Netflix subscribers will be kinder to Deep Fear remains to be seen, although history suggests they might be. Several poorly received films have even found their way onto the streaming platform’s top 10 most-watched movies chart in recent weeks.
This includes 2011’s Cowboys & Aliens and 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan. The latter’s performance was especially impressive, as it maintained a top-five spot for several days.
