recommended

Awesome Movie

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Before viewing this movie, I was aware that it was a made for TV shark movie. I was aware of how bad it was going to be, and it reached my expectations.So basically the movie is this: Lou Diamond Philips, Kristy Swanson, Coolio, a random shark in a river and criminal treasure hunters. That's it. There isn't any explanation of why there was a shark in a river (which is scientifically impossible), there wasn't anything. The acting could have been done better with chimps as the lead roles, the shark is just a big rubber nothing, and criminal treasure hunters? Really? That's just making the movie even more ridiculous than it already is. They add nothing extra to the nonsensical story, they're basically there to be shark bait.To top off this mess of a movie, it's also predictable and horribly clichéd. If I'd known who the characters were before watching the movie then I could probably guess who dies and in what order. This is a movie that is trying to be Jaws but ends up being more like Tintoera.To put it bluntly, don't watch this movie.

"John Sanders" (Lou Diamond Phillips) is a fisherman who is having problems making payments on his boat. So when his ex-wife, "Dr. Kelli Raymond" (Kristy Swanson) comes along and offers him a quick job helping out on an oil rig he reluctantly agrees and takes her, his colleague "Emery Brousard" (Rob Boltin) and an oil executive named "Gene Bradley" (Gideon Emery) up the Atchafalaya River where the rig is located. At the same time there are reports of a huge bull-shark in these same waters which causes concern to everybody on board but they speculate that it has gone up-stream and continue about their business. When they finally get to the rig they find another boat nearby and wonder what these people are up to. At first they think that they are from a rival oil company but as it turns out that they are drug dealers who are diving in the water in search of a safe filled with money. And they are just as deadly as the shark. Anyway, rather than detail the entire story and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this wasn't too bad for a "made-for-television" movie. Although some parts were rather typical for a movie of this type and there were scenes which were a little slow I still enjoyed it for the most part. Obviously, being a made-for-television movie there isn't any sex, profanity or graphic violence which might have actually benefited what I considered to be a relatively mild "shark movie". Be that as it may I rate the movie as about average.

Oh, you may like your shark up North with all those bikini-clad girls cavorting on the beach, but there is nothing like a little Cajun music to liven up the party. This shark came down the river in Louisiana (yes, there is one shark that goes in freshwater) and snacked on some divers that were seeking buried loot.Lou Diamond Phillips leads a cast that includes the original Buffy, Kristy Swanson, who despite appearing totally naked in magazines, has never exposed herself on film. Our loss as she is one incredible beauty. The token rapper that seems to be a feature of today's B movies was Coolio.Lots of action as the bad guys and the oil people clash over a spot of water that holds rewards for both with the bull shark joining in to make it a party.

Well firstly, I must admit that I've been a big fan of shark flicks ever since seeing the original (and still by far the very best) Jaws when I was much younger. In fact, sharks in general terrify me so it's almost a morbid curiosity of mine to seek out as many shark movies as possible.Most of the said films (post Jaws) tend to be fairly run of the mill affairs albeit highly enjoyable ones. The film being reviewed here is a cut above most of its ilk however for a number of reasons.Firstly, this isn't just a man eating shark plot. Here we have a straight forward, but nonetheless enjoyable 'gangsters searching for hidden loot' scenario weaved into the unfolding events. Secondly and a huge plus this, the film has some very good performances in it, most notably from the always excellent and sadly underrated Lou Diamond Phillips. The special effects to, are very commendable considering that this was a 'made for TV' film i.e.low budget. As is very common with these films, the shark effects vary depending upon what technique is being utilised to portray the voracious predator. As a general rule and as is very usually the case in all such films, the CGI shark effects pale in comparison to the model work. And finally, well I've just got to say it – although there aren't many present, the ladies that feature in this are universally hot including the ever lovely Kristy Swanson.Gore wise, (always another plus in these shark oriented movies) there's a few fairly decent scenes in store including one brief shock moment when Lou Diamond Phillips grabs someone's arm only to find that the rest of the body is no longer attached to said appendage(!!!)All in all, if like me, you like your films with BITE, then this is definitely well worth a look.