''Dead in the Water'' is a 1991 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

television film directed by

Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including '' Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago'', '' Kinsey'', ''Dreamgirls'', ' ...

. It is based on the 1958 novel ''Web of Murder'' by author

Harry Whittington Harry Milner Whittington (March 3, 1927 – February 4, 2023) was an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure. He received international media attention following an incident on February 11, 2006, when he was accidentally sh ...

and stars Bryan Brown and

Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film ''Tomor ...

. The film premiered on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

on December 4, 1991.

Plot

Charlie Deegan is a lawyer who married into his wife Olivia's wealthy family but has become unhappy in their relationship and has become involved in an affair with his assistant Laura. Charlie wants to divorce Olivia, but their prenuptial agreement would prevent him from getting any money, meaning that he will not be able to transition to his dream job as a judge because it pays less than being a lawyer. Charlie sleeps with Olivia's friend Victoria to misdirect her from his real affair. He then convinces Olivia to go with him to a cabin to work out their problems, where he drowns her in the nearby lake. Charlie and Laura place Olivia's body and various red herring clues in a car that they dump in the water. Several days later Laura's body is found and Charlie is a suspect. Victoria tells Charlie that she had him followed and knew about his affair with Laura, which angered her. She agrees to keep quiet if he agrees to marry her once Olivia is declared dead. Charlie is once again stuck in an unhappy relationship and is then visited by Lou, Laura's secret husband.

Cast

* Bryan Brown as Charlie Deegan *

as Laura Stewart * Anne DeSalvo as Olivia Deegan *

Veronica Cartwright Veronica Cartwright (born April 20, 1949) is a British-American actress. She is known for appearing in science fiction and horror films, and has earned numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. As a child actress, sh ...

as Victoria Haines *

Seymour Cassel Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...

as Lt. Frank Vaness * Pruitt Taylor Vince as Lou Rescetti *

Anna Thomson Anna Thomson is an American actress known professionally as Anna Levine. She was also credited as Anna Levine Thompson and Anna Thomson. Thomson was orphaned at an early age and raised by her adoptive parents in New York City and France. She trai ...

as Edie Meyers *

Ron Karabatsos Ronald Christ Karabatsos (1933–2012) was an American character actor. Early life Karabatsos was born on April 22, 1933, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA, to Constantine and Antoinette Karabatsos, first-generation immigrants from Greece. The fam ...

as Mike Welch * Daniel Reichert as Jack Homelin * Tim Haldeman as Prosecutor * Tom Wright as Hotel Clerk * Ralph Oliver as Trial Judge *

Eric Christmas Eric Cuthbert Christmas (19 March 1916 – 22 July 2000) was a British actor, with over 40 films and numerous television roles to his credit. He is probably best known for his role as Mr. Carter, the principal of Angel Beach High School, in th ...

as Judge Griffin * Michael Kaufman as Neurosurgeon * C.H. Evans as Lodge Manager * Jo Farkas as Manager's Wife * Jack Orend as Coroner * Ernie Lively as Dignitary * Brent Hinkley as Lake Guard * Wolf Wirth as Waiter

Reception

Reviewer Peter Sobczynski of rogerebert.com called the film a "low-budget ..potboiler".

References

External links

* {{Bill Condon 1991 television films 1991 films 1991 comedy films 1991 crime films 1990s American films 1990s black comedy films 1990s crime comedy films 1990s English-language films American black comedy films American crime comedy films American comedy television films Crime television films Films about adultery in the United States Films about lawyers Films about murder Films based on American crime novels Films based on American thriller novels Films based on mystery novels Films directed by Bill Condon Television films based on books USA Network original films Uxoricide in fiction