Weon

As a child I remember Jaws having this kind of aura about it. It was that scary movie about the shark that ate people. Even though I'd never seen it I was scared to go in the water (even the underwater lights at the swimming pool freaked me out). Now the movie is 30 years old, is it still scary or merely a reminder of how things used to be (badly) done?

From the opening shot with the camera moving through the water to the strains of John Williams' classic score, you know the tension is still there.

Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is the New York cop who has moved to the small coastal town of Amity for the quiet life. His peace is shattered one morning when the remains of a girl who disappeared the night before are washed up on the beach. It couldn't happen at a worse time as the holiday rush the town relies on for it's survival is about to begin. As more people are attacked, Brody is locked in a battle of wills with Mayor Vaughn who knows that to declare the beach closed is like signing a death warrant for the town businesses.

Shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) turns up, itching to find the shark and study it but he is fighting a losing battle with the townsfolk who just want to go out in droves and kill it. The mourning mother of one of the victims puts up a reward for the destruction of the fish and we are introduced to the character of Quint (Robert Shaw). An old man of the sea, Quint offers to catch the beast and when an attack happens on the 4th July, Mayor Vaughn is forced to authorise him to do so. A boat leaves the harbour with Quint, Brody and Hooper on board and the cat and mouse chase begins, although we are never sure who is the hunter and who is the prey.

In an age of CGI where nothing is left to the imagination, the early action in this movie is eerily spartan in its use of effects but this only serves to add to the tension as the threat remains unseen. When the shark finally makes an appearance it is a little disappointing but considering all the problems they had actually getting it to work with their miniscule budget (ahh, the joy of DVD extras) it is pretty impressive.

This movie is a classic. Robert Shaw's monologue about his experiences on the USS Indianapolis is powerful and chilling and classic quotes abound ("You're gonna need a bigger boat"). In fact, all three main actors put in outstanding performances, particularly Scheider who I don't think ever bettered himself. While it is 3 decades old, this movie resonates with today's climate of fear. The scene where the holiday makers all run screaming from the sea when two kids play a prank with a fake fin is a chilling reflection of the US reaction to the supposed weapons of mass destruction.

Last night, I put the disk in to check the opening scene was as I remembered and I nearly ended up watching the entire movie. That is how good it is. Watch it.

Overall: 10/10

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2005 at 6:45 pm and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.