Movie Review: The Reef (2010)

The Reef (2010) written, produced, and directed by Andrew Traucki

Luke (Damian Walshe-Howling) pilots sailboats to whoever the new owner is. To make the adventure more fun, he invites Matt (Gyton Grantly) and his girlfriend Susan (Adrienne Pickering) to join him. Matt's sister, Kate (Zoe Naylor), also comes along even though she's Luke's ex-girlfriend. Warren (Kieran Darcy-Smith) is a boathand to help with the sailing. The group sails out past the Barrier Reef, stopping off at an island for a little fun in the sand. After leaving the island, the boat runs over some sharp rocks, tearing a hole in the boat and inverting it. The five manage to clamber onto what's left of the boat and retrieve some supplies from inside. Then it is decision time. Matt wants to swim north about ten miles to Turtle Island. If they don't, the current will just take them farther and farther from land. Warren stays with the boat, hoping to get discovered. The other four get in the water and start the long swim to safety. Warren is worried about sharks in the waters (he's got a big collection of jaws in his boathouse on the mainland), which indeed turns out to be a problem for the quartet.

I was a little worried the premise was too slim to yield a satisfying movie. The actors all do good jobs and the pacing is very even. The movie sticks to a "people's eye" view, leaving only glimpses of the sharks and the gore. The style is used very well, keeping the tension going right to the end.

This sort of slow-burn horror film is probably not to everyone's tastes but I enjoyed it a lot.

Recommended.