‘Sheer terror!’
The Jaws of Death is a 1976 action thriller film about a Vietnam veteran who has a psychic connection to sharks; he discovers their exploitation by the local aquarium and a bar owner and so begins a reign of terror to avenge them. Promoted as Mako: The Jaws of Death
Produced and directed by William Grefé (Stanley; Impulse 1972; Death Curse of Tartu; Sting of Death) from a screenplay written by Robert W. Morgan [as Robert Madaris] based on a story by Grefé.
The Mako Associates-Universal Majestic Inc. co-production stars Richard Jaeckel (The Dark 1979; Day of the Animals; Grizzly; The Green Slime), Jennifer Bishop, Buffy Dee, Harold ‘Oddjob’ Sakata (Impulse 1972) and John Davis Chandler.
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Review:
Sonny Stein (Richard Jaeckel) loves sharks. He really bloody loves sharks. He sublets the watery basement of his island house to his shark friends. He has insane baby-talking conversations with them. A character even comments that he wouldn’t be surprised if one of Sonny’s pregnant fishy housemates birthed a litter resembling Sonny. Yes, Sonny is a total sociopath with a mystical connection to sharks. And he’s our hero.
Sonny is tricked into selling one of his beloved sharks to Barney (Buffy Dee), a local millionaire and the obese owner of a sh*tty bar. Morbidly obese Barney wants to use the shark in a skimpy bikini underwater act starring his wife (Jennifer Bishop). Yep, his wife. He promises Sonny not to hurt the shark, but it’s not long before he cackles madly and pulls out a sonar sound system to torture the performing fish.
Sonny is also fooled by an evil professor, Whitney (Ben Kronen), who fools Sonny into revealing his secret shark hot spot. Sonny is a pretty gullible guy. Whitney’s idiotic henchmen, Pete (Harold Sakata — yes, Odd Job) and Charlie (John Davis Chandler), go on a shark-murdering rampage. It is this massacre that sets Sonny over the edge.
The Jaws of Death opens with Sonny brutally murdering a trio of shark hunters and tossing their bodies into the ocean to be gulped down by what was once their prey. From this slasher-esque opening, it’s clear that Mako is not your average shark film. At this early point, despite the bloodshed, director William Grefe could probably still pass Sonny over as a clearheaded, animal-loving anti-hero. But Jaeckel’s amazing performance does not allow for that.
Jaeckel gives it his all in this role, presenting Sonny as a seriously unhinged individual. Sonny stares down people. Then blinks uncontrollably. In a scene that genuinely made me uncomfortable, he has an incredible meltdown when he sees what Whitney has done to his beloved sharks. There is an almost Joe Spinell à la Maniac lunacy to his performance. Some may think he is over the top, but I loved it.
Jaeckel gives it his all in this role, presenting Sonny as a seriously unhinged individual. Sonny stares down people. Then blinks uncontrollably. In a scene that genuinely made me uncomfortable, he has an incredible meltdown when he sees what Whitney has done to his beloved sharks. There is an almost Joe Spinell à la Maniac lunacy to his performance. Some may think he is over the top, but I bought it.
Sakata and Chandler chew scenery like mad, desperately trying to steal every bit of screen time they have — and they do. I’m not sure if it was scripted or added unconsciously by the actors, but there is a potent homoerotic undertone to their relationship. Jennifer Bishop is also a lot of fun in her sleazy role — I really like how everyone is a piece of shit in this film. Even bit actors give it their all, like Dick Sterling who plays an idiotic tourist and Don Sebastian who seems to be channelling Lou Costello.
Mako has to be judged somewhat differently in its shark rating. Sharks aren’t the monsters here, humans are — on both sides of the spectrum. Sonny is a loony killer (“a sickie”, as Jennifer Bishop calls him), and those who antagonise him are greedy @ssholes. Though their threat is diminished, the scenes with sharks are impressive indeed.
The film proudly thanks its shark stuntmen in its opening frame, and rightly so. The underwater footage is impressive, presenting sharks in the majestic light they deserve. The few scenes where sharks chow down on humans are not gory but handled well (outside of a few shots obviously captured in pools).
Mako‘s ethics, like many sharksploitation efforts, are a little questionable. As it defends sharks and attempts to present them as misunderstood, a lot of (real) slaughtered sharks appear onscreen. I can’t say for certain if the filmmakers had the sharks killed specifically for the production — perhaps they were sourced from fishermen — but certain scenes leave behind an icky taste.
Shark genocide aside, despite its rather terrible reputation and a name that cashes in on Spielberg’s classic, is one of the few post-Jaws efforts to stand as an entertainingly bizarre shark film. It does its own thing. It doesn’t parrot Chief Brody or Quint. At the centre of its success is its manic leading man. Richard Jaeckel ignores the film’s low budget and dull aesthetics and, for some reason, gives this role everything he has.
Dave Jackson, MOVIES & MANIA
Choice dialogue:
Charlie: “Ok, shark boy, I’m gonna break your fin!”
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Richard Jaeckel … Sonny Stein; Jennifer Bishop … Karen; Buffy Dee … Barney; Harold “Odd Job” Sakata … Pete; John Davis Chandler … Charlie; Ben Kronen … Whitney; Paul Preston … Second Patrolman; Milton ‘Butterball’ Smith … Butter; Bob Gordon … Bartender; Jerry Albert … Mate; George Johnson … Captain; Richard O’Barry … First Patrolman; Luke Halpin … Third Patrolman; Dan Fitzgerald … Deputy; Bob Leslie … Client; Raff Prieto … Attendant; Marcia Knight … Secretary; Dete Parsons … Helper; Dick Sterling … Tourist; Mal Jones … First Man; Jack Nagle … Second Man; Don Sebastian … Customer; Arthur C. Gulliver Jr … First Vigilante; Courtney Brown … Second Vigilante; Herb Goldstein … Fisherman; Lucille Blackton … Annie
Technical specs
Audio: Mono
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
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