SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Leofwine_draca A diver is killed, and a marine biologist and his female assistant require someone to take on the dangerous task. Literally exploding into the country, Burt Reynolds soon causes a stir in the local town with his petty thievery and obnoxious ways. He quickly forms a relationship with a young boy, Runt, and the inhabitants of a seedy hotel (a drunken doctor, a mad Arab, and "Fatso" the owner). Soon Reynolds is joining the fishing crew, but trouble comes in the form of a corrupt policeman and double-crossing between friends.Okay, I didn't know what to make of this. The packaging intrigued me. First of all it looked like a JAWS rip-off, but I soon found it was made before JAWS. There was also a ridiculous note that the film was dedicated to injured stuntmen - a marketing ploy if ever I saw one. And then there was Burt Reynolds. Trust me, Burt is the one thing which redeems this film and stops it becoming an unwatchable mess. Because Burt is THE king of cool. Whether he's fighting off greasy thugs or cracking wise-ass jokes, Burt sure knows his stuff.The rest of the plot is inconsequential really. There's a heck of a lot of character building. The shark of the title is seen swimming around and eats a couple of people, but that's about it. The main plot is about Burt and his relationships in the town. There's little in the way of suspense, but quite a lot of action fighting scenes. Arthur Kennedy also appears. I don't know why this film had a 15 certificate, as the only gory bit of it was when someone was getting attacked by a shark and a load of what looked like red paint was coming off him. The young boy was pretty endearing though. If you're anything of a Burt Reynolds fan, then this film is for you. I wasn't a fan before I saw his performance, but my opinion is definitely changed now I have.

Lee Eisenberg I've read some about Sam Fuller, and I derive that he is best known for directing movies about WWII. However, "Shark!" is the first of his movies that I've seen. Contrary to what the title may imply, it is not really about people battling an elongate elasmobranch - although there are some such scenes in the movie - but rather an incomprehensible story of smuggling in a small Sudanese town with lost treasure off the coast. Burt Reynolds plays his usual macho role as the man caught in the middle of the imbroglio.Does the movie make any sense? No, not really. It seems like the sort of movie where they had several different people writing the script, and none of them knew what the others were writing. It may be a pretty stupid movie, but believe me it's cool! Not only because of Reynolds's modus operandi, but because Silvia Pinal is REALLY hot! In fact, there's a "From Here to Eternity" moment (at least that's what I would call it). Why didn't they show her wearing less?! Anyway, it's basically a terrible movie, but pretty neat. Worth seeing as a historical reference

merkaba_326 Contrary to the previous critic's statements, the end result of this film is not a reflection on Burt, the crew or the late great Samuel Fuller. This was a doomed project from the beginning. Fuller, recently returning from France, was all but blacklisted by American producers. His two previous films: Shock Corridor and Naked Kiss were too hard hitting and edgy for Hollywood producers. Almost completely broke, Fuller accepted an offer from two Mexican producers to adapt Victor Canning's 'Twist of the Knife'. Thus began "Caine", AKA "Maneater" AKA "Shark!", etc al. At the time, Burt Reynolds was only a television actor, with few if any real film credits. Silvia Pinal, who was great in Luis Bunuel's masterful, 'Viridiana' was terrific in Shark, as was Barry Sullivan as Mallare(who was also great in Fuller's, 'Forty Guns'). Ultimately, the Mexican producers/studio heads completely recut this film behind Fuller's back. Fuller denounced it, and with good reason. This film is bad, make no mistake. However, it was not Sam Fuller's fault, or Burt's, or Pinal, or Raul Martinez Solares, who provided the gritty, spooky cinematography for Shark. Shark is still enjoyable enough though. I would recommend Vodka or some aged Kentucky Bourbon as an accompaniment. Maybe some Bulleit on ice. Water-logged? I think not. This lil' stinker just requires a bit of booze and some willing cohorts.

secragt Fuller really fails in this strangely flat boating drama. It probably has something to do with the really unattractive old crow who is supposed to seduce young Burt into her and her husband's hare-brained scheme to...well, it's all a little foggy, really. I guess they wanted Burt to do all the heavy lifting and to fend off the shark on their treasure hunt but seeing as there is nary a scene with a real maneater anywhere near Burt (all of the big Shark footage is painfully obvious unmatching stock material) you'll have to use your imagination. Arthur Kennedy is actually interesting...given the horrendous standards of everything else, he's probably the best thing in this soggy fish story.One of the biggest mistakes of the story (perhaps necessitated by the non-existent budget) is that so much of the movie concerns the recruitment of Burt rather than the actual shark attack and undersea footage. Frankly, it's very boring to see all the lengthy and talky scenes in a bar and stunning to see it in the usually laconic and better-paced Fuller's work. Burt does have limited charm but somehow he's just wasted. Amazing to think that only three years later Reynolds would give the remarkably nuanced and charismatic performance of his life in the mind-blowing DELIVERANCE. He sure doesn't seem to have a clue here. There might be a certain level of camp value here but somehow even that doesn't quite come off. I guess I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to except for die-hard Burt fans. And are there any of those left after STRIPTEASE, etal? Skip this one and re-watch JAWS or THE NAKED KISS.