Swimf@n Review

Ben Cronin has it all: a promising swimming career and a gorgeous girlfriend. A one-night stand with the new girl in town turns his life upside down, and as her obsession with grows, so does the number of corpses.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

20 Sep 2002

Running Time:

86 minutes

Certificate:

12

Original Title:

Swimf@n

A glance at the title gives a pretty clear picture of what kind of movie Swimf@n is going to be. It's that @ - it screams "dodgy teen movie", and that's no bad thing. This is a high school film in the same vein as Cruel Intentions - think, Fatal Attraction: The Early Years.

All the usual teen stereotypes are present, spanning the spectrum of wisecracking best mate to creepy nerd, so it's a fairly predictable effort whose twists and shocks come exactly when you expect them. But the quirky direction and above-par performances make for more entertaining viewing than your average teen slasher.

Bradford is fine as anguished jock Ben, but this is Christensen's show. As the Hitchcockian blonde who slowly destroys Ben's world like anthrax in slingbacks, she tiptoes between fragile and predatory with consummate ease, showing that she really is worth her considerable hype.

No points for originality, but young audiences will lap up the mix of nubile teens and cheap shocks, while the solid performances provide something for less hormone-ravaged viewers.
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