With all the ups and downs of Kevin Spacey's career, 'Swimming With Sharks' kind of came along before he seemed destined to hit the dizzy heights or the crippling lows. Before he hit the big time with 'American Beauty' he played what would eventually become his 'go to' character, i.e. a sleezebag.
Sadly, if the media are to be believed, life has imitated art, but I like to do my best and separate the art from the artist. So, if you can bring yourself to actually watch a Kevin Spacey film these days, this one will certainly showcase much of the acting talent and stage presence that would cement his 'A-list' credentials.
Spacey plays 'Buddy Ackerman' - a 'Harvey Weinstein-esque' type film producer who is well-known in Hollywood circles (you can write your own comparison gag for that one!). And he's a completely b******d (again, draw your own comparisons!). He treats his staff - and in particular his personal assistants - like dirt. Which is not good news for his latest victim/employee 'Guy' (played by Frank Whaley). Although Spacey is the star that doesn't mean he's the main focus. Whaley is the main character whose life we follow as he tries to juggle actually having a life while carrying out/serving his new 'master.'
The film was set in the mid nineties and it shows. Everything from the haircuts to the suits seal it in its time period. The film's look and feel hasn't aged that well, but at least the story seems pretty timeless of a put-upon employee being mercilessly exploited by his employer. The direction is pretty standard for this type of drama/black comedy/satire and there's no memorable soundtrack to speak of. It does tend to do that thing where it starts near the end, so you can see how the characters end up and the bulk of the film is - technically - long flashbacks for us to see how the characters end up the way they are. Personally, I'd prefer to see the story told in a linear fashion as I thought it didn't really need to have time played about with.
I have to confess that I'd never heard of Frank Whaley before I watched this (and I've never seen himself in anything since!) and he does seem a little out of his league while playing up against Spacey's considerable charisma. Whether you love or hate Spacey (on screen or in real life), this is his baby and it's worth a watch just to see his acerbic put-downs.
