Father Geek here with a report from our Hawaiian Islands reporter Albert Lanier on the latest HIFF screening in Honolulu...

EARLY SCREENING KICKS OFF HAWAII FILM FEST"S SPRING SHOWCASE

by Albert Lanier

The Hawaii International Film Festival's Spring Showcase film festival-a limited program of films consisting of HIFF's customary mix of film fare from Asia along with a couple of American and European pictures-unofficially kicked off on Thursday, March 31 with the premiere of a film shot on Oahu.

PHANTOM BELOW-a submarine drama starring Adrian Paul (HIGHLANDER), Catherine Dent (THE SHIELD) and Matthew St. Patrick (SIX FEET UNDER)-had its World Premiere at Downtown Honolulu's Hawaii Theatre on Thursday night.

In attendance at the screening was PHANTOM's Director and Producer Brian Trenchard-Smith and Executive Producer Stephan Jarchow who also helps run Region Entertainment-a holding company which produced and partly financed the picture through one of its subsidiaries the locally based Pacific Pictures.

Along with a few comments from HIFF President Jeff Chung and the festival's Executive Director Chuck Boller, Trenchard-Smith and Jarchow talked for several minutes before the film began about how PHANTOM BELOW progressed from the idea stage to the heat of production.

Then without much delay, PHANTOM BELOW was shown. The film opens with U.S. Naval Commander Frank Habley in bed at home obviously awakening from deep slumber and /or a dream. Habley then takes a swim in his swimming pool and later- while strapping on his watch clad in his dress whites-watches a news segment on North Korea flouting international restrictions on arms sales on a TV in his kitchen. Habley then heads to his vehicle and drives off.

Cut to the Sea of Japan. Habley is working out on a treadmill in a cramped corner of a submarine while a greenish title credit onscreen identifies him as Captain of the vessel. Habley completes his workout and talks to a crew member before taking off. The action then shifts to the bridge where the audience is introduced to Executive Officer Tom Palantonio and Chief of the boat Dizzy Malone. Orders are received. Palantonio and Habley-who are good friends and golfing buddies in addition to serving together- study them in the Captain's quarters. Their sub must head toward the waters at least 50 yards off the coast of North Korea.

Habley's sub heads toward its coordinates. The sub surfaces a bit and Habley takes a look through his periscope. The commander is astonished to see a grayish object in the distance-a North Korean ship-bobbing in waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Habley looks through the periscope again to verify that what he saw was not an apparition. He orders the sub to dive 500 feet down and to eventually move into an underwater trench to hide from possible attack. Habley also checks with his sonar room about the designation of the vessel but one of the sonar officers reports that they can not identify any vessel nor have they received any readings on any craft in the area.

Meanwhile beneath the ocean, a small door-like part of the hull of a unknown vessel slides open revealing a tube from which a torpedo is launched. Habley's sub picks up a torpedo heading its way. Countermeasures are launched and the torpedo makes contact with the countermeasures causing the requisite explosion which shakes the sub up. More torpedoes are launched resulting in the release of more countermeasures but the back of the sub hit by one of the resulting explosions causing a fire in one of the submarine's back rooms. Palantonio heads down with two other crew members to extinguish the fire and the Executive Officer is tragically hit by a sudden burst of flames as he works to put out the blaze. While the sub manages to steer clear of its mysterious pursuer, Habley is grief-stricken by the loss of his friend and colleague.

The film then shifts to a military cemetery in Hawaii where Palantonio's funeral is in progress. After the funeral breaks up, Commander Habley meets Palantonio's sister Claire Trifoli. Trifoli is also a naval officer-a Lieutenant in Naval Intelligence-and she holds Habley responsible for her brother's death.

The Navy also wants to hold Habley responsible. The Commander winds up sitting in front of a panel of 4 senior officers at HQ in Honolulu. One of the officers-Vice Admiral Sommerville-contends that the sonar equipment on the ship was found perfectly adequate and Habley's contention of a mysterious or phantom sub impervious to sonar to be dubious at best.

Habley insists that the unknown craft was a new form of stealth submarine technology not identifiable by the usual indices and unclassifiable at present. Though Habley has the friendship and support of Chief Malone who feel he made the right decision, the sub skipper knows that he could be facing a courts martial for Dereliction of Duty resulting in the death of two crew member.

Just when it seems like Habley's career is disintegrating, the Navy offers him the chance to command another sub. Lieutenant Commander Steven Barker, a top-flight officer who is line for command, is recruited by Vice Admiral Sommerville to serve as the Executive Officer on the U.S.S Poseidon.

The mission-as we later learn-is a top secret jaunt to place a tap on an underwater cable in the Yellow Sea Channel that will improve the ability to monitor North Korean military and intelligence traffic. Sommerville wants Barker to meet Habley, convince him to skipper the sub and convince Habley that the idea was his. The Admiral also ensures Barker that he will share command with Habley and that he can assume total command of the vessel if Habley deviates from the express orders of the mission. Habley signs on to the mission only to find a new wrinkle as his sub is about to shove off: Lt. Trifoli is joining the mission as part of a three person intelligence team.

I won't reveal the rest of PHANTOM BELOW not because there is a startlingly shocking plot twist but because a film of this type relies on a certain measure of tension.

If theatres still had double features, PHANTOM BELOW could be easily ensconced as the B film in a double bill.

Unfortunately, PHANTOM BELOW is only an adequate cable TV type movie. In fact, a "gay" version of the film with homoerotic scenes will be shown on the gay oriented HERE network this year. PHANTOM is tightly directed by veteran helmer Trenchard-Smith who has a number of TV films such as BRITANNIC and a few theatrical features such as MEGIDDO: THE OMEGA CODE 2 on his cinematic cv. Trenchard-Smith does a basic but generally effective craftsman-like job with PHANTOM. He keeps the pacing fairly tight, the action flowing and the scenes short and sweet-all important attributes to a low-budget actioner of PHANTOM"S class.

Trenchard-Smith's direction gets a boost from his cinematographer Paul Atkins who does admirable work shooting PHANTOM in high definition and working with the camera operators to give the hour and half movie as filmic a look as possible on a low budget.

The performances from a cast headed up of episodic TV actors generally are solid enough though unspectacular. Adrian Paul gives a decent performance as Commander Frank Habley giving the lead role more definition and contour at times by demonstrating a bit of vulnerability under his character's seemingly confident exterior. Catherine Dent demonstrates a little bit of range as Lt. Claire Trifoli compared to her usual work on FX's THE SHIELD. Dent fleshes out what could have a underwhelming, one-note character with a grudge against Habley. She adds more intelligence and professionalism to her character. Mike Doyle fills out the brief and fateful role of Lt. Commander Tom Palantonio as best he can, Mark DeKlin is appropriately devious as the Special Intelligence Team leader Captain Galasso and Matt Battaglia does a solid turn as Mabley's friend and right hand man Chief Dizzy Malone. Kent McCord also does a good job at portraying the scheming Vice Admiral Sommerville.

The real star of PHANTOM BELOW though is Matthew St. Patrick as Lt. Commander Steven Barker. St. Patrick is highly watchable and compelling as Barker-a highly efficient by-the-book officer who will fulfill the mission directives no matter what the cost. What St. Patrick conveys effectively is a cool pragmatism and unwavering confidence in his own abilities. At the same time, St. Patrick imbues his character with a rational enough core so that he rectify mistakes when they happen.

Unfortunately, the script by Mark Sanderson (with story credit by Stephan Jarchow) lets everyone down. While the script wisely pares down most scenes down to their essence, it winds up cutting out most of the character development and psychology-crucial to making a tense submarine thriller. We also don't find out anything about the phantom ship-even throwaway hints or clues as to technology. Its just a long hulking sub with a front that looks like a hammerhead shark .

In the end, PHANTOM BELOW is a lean, mean film perfect for watching on TV but it is so streamlined that what we ultimately get a thin but watchable screen treatment instead a fleshed-out story.