Word About Biehn

Reviews of Michael's Work

ABYSS(1989)


Though some of Michael's films may be underrated, Abyss is not one of them. To the contrary, it is just the opposite. Overrated and pretentious, it drags on for 145 or 173 minutes (depending on which version one views) to make a point about the goodness of mankind that the old Star Trek television series managed to make better in a mere 48-minute episode. Despite that, however, Abyss does boast one stellar asset---Michael, who delivers an unforgettable performance! The basic story of Abyss is OK, if a bit Swiss-cheesy. A nuclear sub crashes 80 miles off the coast of Cuba, its demise caused by an unknown force. It takes with it 156 personnel and 24 nuclear missiles with eight warheads each. This naturally causes some concern to the US government and prompts it to send the navy to handle the explosive situation. However, the navy has no deep-sea equipment close enough to carry out the mission in a timely fashion. They therefore commandeer the staff and equipment of Benthic Petroleum's nearby undersea rig, which has submersibles that can descend into the Abyss and do the job. A team of SEALs is sent to effect the rescue of any survivors of the sunken sub and take care of those missiles. Leading that team is Lieutenant Coffey (Michael), who is military to the core, committed to completing his mission, and well aware of the USSR's presence in the area. He is also suffering from High Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS), which will soon impair his reason and impel him to behavior that will endanger all aboard, not to mention Earth itself, at least in the movie's long version. As time goes by, the existence of an alien presence is suspected and then confirmed. The question is whether it is benign or hostile. Engineer Lindsey Brigman believes the former, but Coffey disagrees, and his efforts to combat the menace he perceives lead to disaster, eventual contact with the alien, and the revelation of its intent.

For FX aficionados, Abyss is a film to be savored. Throughout, it is a marvel of technological mastery. Its sets are complex and convincing; and whether its visual effects are achieved with blue screen, dry smoke shots, or underwater tank shots, they are authentic in appearance. Morphing is used for the alien, and though still in its early stages of development, it is well done and impressive and creates a creature of fascination. All this is not surprising in a Cameron production; it is his strength. Unfortunately, the writing and characters (with the notable exception of the antagonist) don't match the production values. Heroine Lindsey, strident from the beginning, never softens sufficiently to win sympathy (well, not mine anyway), and I keep wondering why the hero remains so emotionally drawn to her. As for the story, its holes and lapses in logic make it hard to buy. Why, for example, does Lindsey consider the alien presence (NTI) benign? Apparently, she just has an instinct about it, and yet it was responsible for the opening destruction of that sub and all aboard. Though the alien is presented as highly intelligent (not to mention peace loving and judgmental), the question that looms is why does it cause that catastrophe? Hardest of all for me to accept is the egregious failure of anyone to recognize Coffey's illness, not to mention try to help him. In the beginning, Lindsey herself lectures the SEALs about the symptoms of HPNS, yet she doesn't manage to notice Coffey's deteriorating state until it's too late. This is, of course, a plot ploy. Coffey must be allowed to get out of hand so he can trigger a climactic showdown. Unfortunately, the story isn't developed in such a way as to make that scenario believable. These highly trained underwater workers should have detected Coffey's condition; Coffey's second-in-command should have been informed; the resident medic should have been called in to provide whatever treatment he could. At the very least, Coffey should have been confined so that he couldn't harm himself or others. None of that was done or even hinted at. Consequently, when Coffey goes berserk, I almost want to shout "Serves you right!" at those who let it happen. All that and a pace that too often drags make watching Abyss a test of endurance.

It is Michael who saves the film from being completely "abyssmal." As Coffey, the antagonist who drives much of the action, he is extraordinary. From the first tremors of Coffey's hand to the trembling tension of his body, from the tautness of his slurred speech to his tight facial muscles setting off intense wild eyes, Michael paints a frightening and compelling picture of mounting madness. Yet throughout, he also shows a man of integrity and dedication, committed to his country and desperately trying to complete his mission, as he becomes increasingly aware that he is losing his hold on sanity. Each time I witness Coffey's decline and the hopelessness of his battle to halt it, my sympathy for him grows. And at the end, when he places his hand on the window of his sinking submersible, his face revealing his realization of final failure, I feel terrible regret. In Coffey, Michael creates an antagonist who is clearly not a villain but instead a victim of circumstances he can't control. He was promoted for an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Abyss and deservedly so. In making Coffey a character who grips us and who evokes our care rather than our condemnation, Michael approaches brilliance! *Kay*