The Steamy Ana De Armas Psychological Thriller You Can Stream On Hulu

If you're looking for a fresh cinematic hit of erotic thrills, there's an under-the-radar streaming release that might have escaped your attention despite boasting an impressive cast led by Ana de Armas. The movie is "Deep Water," which stars de Armas and Ben Affleck as Melinda and Vic Van Allen, two halves of a strained open marriage that gets significantly more complicated when Vic takes credit for murdering one of his wife's lovers. When the man actually turns up dead, that ill-advised boast leads him deeper into further intrigue (as well as actual, rather than merely boasted about, murder) in classic film noir fashion. 

It's a plot that only Patricia Highsmith, author of classic psychological thriller books like "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Strangers on a Train," could have come up with. And indeed, "Deep Water" sees another master of the genre, Adrian Lyne, bringing one of Highsmith's best novels to the screen. Lyne has left his mark on the erotic thriller genre with films like "Fatal Attraction" and "Indecent Proposal," and "Deep Water" marks his return to the director's chair after a lengthy absence. 

With big stars Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck anchoring the film, plus a legendary filmmaker like Adrian Lyne behind the camera, you might be wondering why "Deep Water" escaped your attention. Unfortunately, it's one of the movies originally slated to hit the big screen that ended up getting released directly to streaming after its original theatrical releases were delayed due to COVID-19. 

Whether or not "Deep Water" would have been a hit had it been granted a theatrical release is a purely hypothetical scenario. That being said, it certainly doesn't have any effect on the movie's status as a direct-to-streaming buried gem in the filmographies of two major movie stars, and one with some unusually dark subject matter at that. The good news is that if you haven't seen the movie (or read Patricia Highsmith's source novel), you can enjoy the surprises of its plot, with all its twists, turns, and reversals, without having been spoiled by a lot of social media chatter.

If you're in the mood for a movie about Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck experiencing some sexy psychological unease from the director of "Flashdance" and "Jacob's Ladder," now is the time to check out "Deep Water" on Hulu.