MOVIE REVIEW

This logic-challenged dive-bum thriller is directed by John Stockwell, who did the equally silly surf movie "Blue Crush."

By Kevin Crust, Times Staff Writer

Paul Walker can hold his breath a really long time, or at least his character in the insipid "Into the Blue" can. However, that's nothing compared to how long you'll be waiting for something remotely interesting to happen in this logic-challenged dive-bum thriller directed by John Stockwell, who did the equally silly surf movie "Blue Crush."

Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan and Ashley Scott play friends who discover what might be buried treasure on the ocean floor in Bahamian waters. Nearby lies the wreckage of a plane containing a whole lot of cocaine creating that dreaded ethical conundrum: whom do you root for when everyone is sleazy?

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The dialogue credited to Matt Johnson consists mainly of "We're outta here" and declarations of intent are usually punctuated by the endearment "Bro." There are also plenty of man-hugs and big-ups (the fist-to-fist greeting of the islands) to keep the testosterone at sufficiently brain-dead levels. Alba and Scott are reduced to eye candy as the camera nuzzles their derrieres from peculiar angles in and out of the water.

"Into the Blue," PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, drug material, some sexual content and language. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. In general release.