The Requin (2022) by Le-Van Kiet


Director: Le-Van Kiet
Year: 2022
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks

Plot:
Taking a romantic trip together, a couple vacationing in Vietnam trying to solve their marital issues are accidentally swept away inside their floating tent by a savage and unexpected storm and must battle the elements and a series of savage shark attacks to make their way to safety.

Review:

This ended up being a somewhat problematic but somewhat enjoyable effort. What really works well here is the highly enjoyable setup here that offers a reasonable starting point to get them on their way. The early parts here focusing on their trip through the area, their marriage issues, and all the various turmoils that are based on what the trip is for give quite an intriguing enough look at who they are so that the ensuing survivalist aspect of the film comes off rather nicely. This as well is quite fun with the fun action involving the storm bringing up tons of water and wind that crashes their room down around them and dragging them out to sea that comes off far better than this type of scene should with it providing several realistic injuries and a fine sense of action overall.

Once out in the water, the films’ turn into a survivalist thriller makes for a somewhat enjoyable turn. Stuck together on the floating raft that was their room and cut off from help with how far away they’ve drifted away from their hotel, the means of their ingenuity to conjure tactics to escape which goes from securing useful items that would all help to ensure their survival to trying to flag down passing planes or ships creates some thrilling moments. That most of these are about trying to get both of them out of the situation while being hampered by both their situation and the injuries suffered beforehand adds a fine dimension to things. Spiced up with several shark attacks as a means of adding more stress and suspense to their quest, these here are what hold this one up overall.

There are some drawbacks here, which unfortunately stem more from viewer perception than anything else. Those wanting this one to be a full-on series of intense and thrilling shark attacks are going to be disappointed here since there’s barely any footage of the creatures until the final act which is focused on her trying to find ways of getting to safety with the shark hunting her down as an obstacle to overcome. Some might not like that approach with the creatures first showing up just shy of the hour mark but that’s the story being told here. That can make this one dull and disappointing for some looking to indulge in more shark action than what’s present here, which is a viewer’s expectations being unrealized as the main flaw here just as much as the rather flimsy effects-work present which also keeps this down.


Overview: ***.5/5
A highly enjoyable survivalist thriller with some shark action thrown in at spurts, your enjoyment for this one will be found to be quite limited to whether you want constant and continuous shark action in your film. Those who solely want constant attacks and bloodshed in their shark film should steer clear of this one quite readily, while viewers who can willing to let that slide in favor of the other positives here will have some fun here.

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