Shark! Reviews

Sam Fuller was at home once again in the world he created for SHARK, one full of viciousness and backstabbers. Fuller's cynical worldview helped to make him a darling of the French critics and it is also what makes his masterpieces--SHOCK CORRIDOR and THE NAKED KISS--so biting. Reynolds, a gun runner in Africa, fits into this dog-eat-dog world easily; his rugged individualism makes him the perfect Fuller antihero. But he also has a soft spot that leaves him prey to the more vicious members of the cast, particularly to Pinal, a femme fatale whose malicious intent knows no bounds. Reynolds takes refuge in a small Sudanese town after being pursued by soldiers for the truckload of guns he ditches. He is enlisted by Sullivan and Pinal to assist in an expedition to gather fish specimens in the ocean. Actually the excursion is a hunt for treasure buried at the bottom of the sea. Reynolds and Sullivan successfully get the treasure to the boat Pinal is on; she then decides she wants all the take for herself and attracts some sharks to do in her cohorts. Sullivan meets a nasty end, but Reynolds survives to make it back to the boat and give Pinal a good knock on the head. Suspicious police chief Lucero then makes an appearance. He also wants the gold, but Reynolds feeds the unscrupulous cop to the sharks and has only the revived Pinal to contend with. She forces Reynolds off the boat and drives off into the sunset with her newfound riches. But Reynolds gets his last-minute revenge when the boat sinks because he has opened the ballast valves. Because SHARK was shot in Mexico, the Sudanese setting is not always believable; however, a host of interesting characters compensates nicely for this weakness in the film. Made in 1967, the film didn't make it to US screens until 1970, mainly because the producers took their time cutting a version to suit their fancy.