THE ABYSS

PLOT SUMMARY

On patrol near Cuba, a "boomer" — a Navy submarine carrying 24 ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads — spots a bogey moving at 60 knots. Nothing should be able to move that fast underwater — especially without engine or propeller noise. The sub follows it into a narrow canyon; when the bogey approaches within 60 yards, the sub loses all power and collides with the canyon wall, drifting downward. Soon, power returns. But they are now too deep to blow the ballast tanks; they continue to sink until pressure staves in the bulkheads. The crew are entombed in a watery grave.

The Navy has the special equipment required to salvage the wrecked sub. But a hurricane is heading for the area; they cannot get it there in time to beat the storm. A civilian team is operating an undersea habitat at an oil wellhead not too far from the wreck; they are ordered to inspect it. A SEAL team joins them to supervise. The plan is to disconnect the habitat from its umbilical to the support ship on the surface. Then it will move to the sub's location to act as a mobile base of operations. Lindsey Brigham comes along because she designed the habitat; she is estranged from Virgil "Bud" Brigham, and there is tension between them.

The SEAL team, knowing they will be out of touch with their base, executes Plan B: collect a nuclar warhead and arm it to destroy the sub, keeping it out of Russian hands. Unfortunately, to do this they have taken the habitat's big rig — the one needed to disconnect the umbilical. The storm hits before they get back. On the surface, the support ship loses a stabilizer and the crane holding the umbilical tumbles off the ship. It heads straight down for the habitat. Luckily for our side, it just misses. But then it tilts over and falls down a ledge, dragging the habitat with it. There is much shaking and jostling, and a furious dogging of hatches. But the habitat comes to rest, still not too deep for survival.

Doing a survey outside, Lindsey catches a glimpse of something she can't describe: a living creature of some sort, but like nothing she knows. She hesitates to tell anyone.

Meanwhile, the leader of the SEAL team goes psycho. He locks himself in the compartment with the warhead and straps it to an ROV, intending to send it to the sub. He has a big fight with Bud (Ed Harris) and then takes the big submersible again after mounting the ROV to it. There is a big bumper-car battle between his submersible and a smaller one driven by Lindsey, during which the ROV is dislodged and plunges into the depths. The larger vehicle, deprived of power, follows it helplessly — the SEAL glaring balefully through the glass until it implodes on him.

That warhead is still a threat, timed to detonate in two hours. There is nothing for it but to send a diver down to disarm it. But how can anyone survive at such depths? There is one chance: the special diving gear the SEALs brought, in which you breathe oxygenated liquid. Bud hastily dons that and drifts down, down: a mile... two miles... ending 16,000 feet from the surface and beginning to suffer the disabling effects. But he finds the warhead and manages to disable it, afterward typing his farewells. But it's not all over for brave Mr. Brigman; whatever is lurking even farther below finds him and saves him.1

Capsule review: Although a bit overlong, The Abyss is impressive on all levels, not at all dated, and well worth watching.