In Too Deep (1989 film)

Production

The film was raised through private investment including the producers own money. Two weeks into the five-week shoot a major investor pulled out but they managed to complete the film. It was shot under the title Mack the Knife.

John Tatoulis later stated:

I was interested in two things in In Too Deep: one was the corruption of innocents and the other was the strengths and weaknesses of sexuality. And I wanted to set it in an urban landscape. What I was really keen to do was create a mood and a feel through a variety of ways. I believe that film is like a tapestry and all the components that go to making the texture of that tapestry are all important: sound, pictures, editing, performances, direction. If one doesn't work, then the final tapestry won't have the texture the director had in his or her mind to start with. If a film doesn't have a feeling, a feeling that has a texture to it, then it's lacking. So that was something I was very keen to explore: how do I give this film a feeling of claustrophobia, a feeling of heat, a feeling of menace and vulnerability.

Release

Despite the film's low budget it managed to be widely seen around the world on video.