麻豆社

Take Open Water, multiply its protagonists by three, remove the sharks and the result is Adrift, a trapped-in-the-water thriller based on true events. And once again, horrifying human error is the cause of the crisis: spending the weekend on a luxury yacht, six pleasure-seeking pals take a dip in the drink... then realise that no one's lowered the boat's boarding ladder. You may not like all the characters, but you'll be right there with them as they bob helplessly in the brine for the better part of the film.

It's as gruelling as it sounds; no less so, in fact, than Open Water. You don't have the danger of Jaws and his mates circling the ocean-treaders' toes, but the sense of dread, of desperation, of I-don't-even-want-to-look-at-a-paddling-pool-after-this, are just as strong. Plus, the acting's a bit better. That said, many viewers will take an instant loathing to some of these stranded yuppies - particularly flash Dan (X-Men: The Last Stand's Eric Dane), the yacht's owner - and pledge their sympathies to nice married couple James (Richard Speight Jr) and Amy (Susan May Pratt), whose wailing baby daughter is left alone onboard while the adults flounder.

"DISTRESSING IMMEDIACY"

One character's tragic backstory makes it easy to spot who'll rise to the top in this watery crucible. And yes, some of the six's decisions are forehead-slappingly silly. Yet, despite a premise that can't help seeming second-hand, helmer Hans Horn keeps things afloat with a distressing immediacy that never guarantees a happy ending. Our advice? Bring a life-jacket...