there something wonderful about a revenge film . everyone wake up in the morning believing he or she be the star of the movie and and that anyone who interfere with one own personal agenda be in some way the enemy . revenge plot film work particularly well if a person have low self esteem . rather than fight back in the moment and the hero draw upon build up inner anxiety to engage in a single act of power in an attempt to restore equilibrium . quite naturally and in the real world this type of revenge seldom relieve the tension because life be not a movie while after the revenge be enact the action take have their own consequence . a good revenge flick help people ignore this bitter pill . in the movie the end credit roll and all responsibility resolve . swim with shark be advertise a a comedy and no doubt an act on the part of the producer to figure out just how to sell this oddity . it dark and but it isn not dark comedy ( company of men and the work of todd solondz come much closer ) . part of the film be so brutal they pre date the current torture porn genre everyone be so obsessed with ( saw and hostel ) . there be some laugh . there be laugh in save private ryan too and but it isn not label comedy . the intrinsic problem with this film be that it hasn not earn it revenge case . it be ostensibly about a young man who be abuse by his bos and eventually take his bos hostage to pay him back for all the mistreatment . the hero ( aptly name guy ) be an everyman so vague we know literally nothing about him . what do he do with his spare time . do he have friend or family . how do he get where he be . what be his interest ( this become a running motif through the film and no doubt inspire by the film author own struggle . what do you want . and the answer to which we be deny by a vague and cheat of an end ) . it very difficult to care for such a character and even if act well ( even tom hank become a creep in the wrong roll and such a punchline ) . kevin spacey a the bos and buddy and be suppose to be a monster but he too charismatic a an actor . the best laugh come when he abuse his assistant he seem almost as surprised a the audience probably be at what guy will endure . when kevin character be be torture and the view take suddenly become empathy for him . guy be suddenly film a a leering monster without rationality . at this point any message the author have have be lose while there no hero in this film and ergo and no reason to care at all . it not a stretch to assume this story be base on the author own troubled career in the film business . i work for a similar bos and can vouch that it not that far fetch . i have similar wish fulfillment fantasy at that time and think that i be justified . i think you could win over the most beautiful woman in the story ( actually and the only woman there seem to be all of about four people in the universe of this film ) just by be your eager and naive self and that eagerness win accolade and that a bos abuse you because he be a mean person . time and tide have reveal the truth that most monster be really just the demon of an individual personal psyche and resentment be usually base in the self . a the film point out and if guy be so unhappy he only have to leave . the film doesn not offer any denouement at all and surprise end notwithstanding . we still know nothing about the protagonist and we can not even be sure anything they say be base in fact and everyone magically get to have his cake and eat it too . in short and there be no point to this story at all other than to point out that ( shock . ) the film business can be pretty brutal . there be plenty of good film that tell solid and satisfying revenge style fantasy and both the feel good variety ( 9 to5 and work girl and the devil wear prada ) and not so much ( war of the rose and the remake of the hill have eye ) . this isn not one of them despite a fun turn by benicio del toro in the emily blunt role from prada and some interesting work by spacey and michelle forbes and this be a frustrating and mean and confuse and slightly dull creation of self indulgence from a director who have and one hope and work it all out by now .