10 Notable Movies Featuring (Mostly) Two Actors

2. Open Water

This low-budget shark movie may be decidedly less impressive in 2019 where everyone and their uncle has a high-quality camera in their pocket, but back in 2003, its $120,000 shot-on-digital production struck a real chord with audiences, grossing a stunning $55.5 million worldwide.

It's all the more impressive as Open Water is not an ensemble horror with a high body count: it's a minimalist genre offering starring just two unknown actors (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) who spend the bulk of the movie bobbing around in the water after their tour boat leaves without them.

But it's also a film that gets a tremendous amount of mileage out of its seemingly piecemeal premise: the fear and anxiety from Ryan and Travis is brilliantly conveyed regardless of the amateur conception.

There are a couple of sneaky cutaways to folks on the mainland, though none of these people are in the movie long enough to be classified as characters. It's a two-person show all the way, and a remarkable one if you can forgive the rough technicals.