Even though Deep Rising makes little sense and is often more gruesome than scary (a man’s head gets axed), it often comes dangerously close to working. Treat Williams (Devil’s Own) stars as a small time sea captain who makes the mistake of transporting a mean group of mercenaries. When a mishap damages his boat, he and his passengers board a luxury liner only to find that it’s infested with sea monsters. Writer/director Stephen Sommers (The Jungle Book) takes the story in dozens of directions. As a result the movie is as amorphous as his malevolent creatures. The cast almost salvages this one, though. Famke Janssen (Goldeneye) is a lot of fun as an enterprising thief, and Kevin J. O’Connor is a scream as Williams’ flaky new age sidekick. Deep Rising does have an effectively creepy look. If only there were a story to go with it (R). Rating: 4.