Warning: SPOILERS for Deep Water.
Adrian Lyne's Deep Water, now streaming on Hulu, is a portrait of a horribly antagonistic relationship. Spouses Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda Van Allen (Ana de Armas) have struck up a bargain: she can sleep with other men, but she may not leave their marriage. Naturally, as is the case with any thriller movie, bodies start popping up and fingers are pointed. Unfortunately for Melinda's lovers, they're on the menu.
Like in any narrative involving murder and deception, some characters seem like they would make far better friends than others. Not every main character in Lyne's movie seems like an ethical member of society, but some do seem like the polar opposite.
Melinda Van Allen (Ana de Armas)
The two least likable characters in Deep Water are its protagonists, but that doesn't mean that they're uninteresting. Affleck's Vic has a slight edge over Melinda in terms of likability if only for the fact that he seems far more involved in the life of their daughter. Furthermore, the film's third act strongly hints that some of Vic's murderous behavior is being goaded, perhaps even enjoyed, by Melinda.
She's also drunk more often than not, and this can lead to her being curt with Vic as well as with Trixie, even when she's simply singing along to some music. Lyne's film may not be Ana de Armas's most well-reviewed, but her performance is very convincing regardless.
Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck)
The best psychological thrillers like Deep Water feature at least one character who will stop at nothing to manipulate those around them. Lyne's newest has several, and Vic Van Allen is one of them.
Whenever he gets some alone time with one of his wife's lovers, particularly Tony Cameron and Joel Dash, he seems to be having fun leading them down a path of terror. Vic will make them fear for their lives, hinting that he'd murdered Melinda's first extramarital partner. Or he'll speed up a hill then pull over the vehicle under the false pretenses of showing off a bike path. Then, he strikes, but it's obvious he was having fun while speeding up the hill. Like Melinda, Vic uses people, but he doesn't derive physical pleasure so much as he enjoys toying with them.
Don Wilson (Tracy Letts)
Don Wilson doesn't trust Vic from the moment he meets him. They're both sitting on a porch at a peaceful party, and Wilson almost immediately starts chiding Vic for making a living off of designing chips for drones.
Wilson never believes that Vic was joking about killing his wife's lover. Others feign belief, but he says "Some joke." Where Wilson loses most of his likability is shortly before his death. He catches Vic moving his latest victim's body and speeds off, with the murderer in pursuit on a bike. As he repeatedly attempts to send a text message to his wife, he yells to himself what he's going to say, and he reveals what he's been after the whole time: inspiration for a book; not to bring closure to families.
Tony Cameron (Finn Wittrock)
American Horror Story star Finn Wittrock plays Tony Cameron in Deep Water. One of Melinda's lovers, Cameron meets his end when Vic takes him into the woods under the guise of showing off a bike path.
While he may be sleeping with another man's wife, Cameron seems like he has a friendly enough personality, and it's shocking when Vic chucks a rock at his head. Then, when Cameron tumbles backward down a hill, the film finds its most stomach-churning moment.
Joel Dash (Brendan Miller)
Joel Dash manages to be Melinda's most likable romance, and it's clear Vic feels the same way. Vic makes a "joke" about the death of Melinda's last lover while with Dash at a party. Naturally, Dash is put off and makes his distance from the couple.
Melinda sets up an opportunity for Vic to apologize, and Dash obliges. The movie makes the viewer think he's going to die, but Vic instead allows Dash to live, calling him an Uber and sending him on his way after confirming that he did in fact commit murder. Earlier in the film, the point was made that Vic found Dash ignorant, and there's an odd coincidence to how he lets Dash live after the young man butchers the word "emasculate" several times.
Grant (Lil Rel Howery)
Lil Rel Howery already starred in the rewatchable and twisty thriller Get Out, and now he's again playing the friend role in Deep Water. As Grant, Howery doesn't get to be as funny as usual, but his lovable personality still seeps through.
Grant is a man who heard that his friend joked about murder, and his heart is telling him to be loyal and disbelieve the rumors. However, it's obvious that Grant is skeptical, and like his loyalty, this makes him an appealing presence. Howery makes Grant seem like a believable, rational human being, bringing some depth to a role that could have been wooden.
Trixie (Grace Jenkins)
Vic and Melinda's daughter, Trixie, isn't only Deep Water's most likable character, but its most intelligent as well. She has a scientific mind, e.g. engaging in an energy-based potato experiment, all while her mother nurses a hangover in the next room.
Her drive makes her charming, but her emotional intelligence is even more impressive. Trixie can recognize that something is very off with her mother in a way that not even Vic can articulate. She asks why Melinda is a certain way with other people, and Vic replies that's just the way she is. But Trixie knows that people can only put on masks but so much, and her mother is displaying behavior that is both reckless and irresponsible.