Black Sea (2014; UK/USA/Russia; Cinelab; 115m) ∗∗∗ d. Kevin Macdonald; w. Dennis Kelly; ph. Christopher Ross; m. Ilan Eshkeri. Cast: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Sergey Puskepalis, Michael Smiley, Grigory Dobrygin, Sergey Veksler, Sergey Kolesnikov. In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a sub that’s rumoured to be loaded with gold. Law heads a strong cast in this claustrophobic underwater heist thriller. Script throws in heavy-handed socio-political statements alongside clichéd character motivation, but Macdonald’s capable direction keeps it undeniably tense. [15]