tt0074845.mp4
Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976)
Directors
Mako: The Jaws of Death
Overview
During the Vietnam War, US soldier Sonny Stein is saved from a pursuing enemy by a Mako shark. He begins to appreciate Makos after that. After the war, Stein finds work in the Philippine Islands as a marine salvager. A Filipino shaman gives him a medallion that helps him develop a telepathic rapport with Makos. Once back home in Florida, Stein decides to become Makos defender. A shady scientist who wants to research the sharks and a strip club owner who wants to use the sharks in a stripping act try to get Stein to use his powers to help them with their plans. Furious, Stein turns on the two men and things get ugly quickly for all of them.
Trailer
Mako: The Jaws of Death Film Details
Overview: A man accidentally learns that he has a mystical connection with sharks, and is given a strange medallion by a shaman. Becoming more and more alienated from normal society, he develops an ability to communicate with sharks telepathic
Tagline: Filmed without the benefit of cages or mechanical sharks to offer protection!
Review: This film proudly opens with the following announcement: “The producers wish to express their sincerest gratitude to the members of the underwater crew who risked their lives to film the shark sequences without the benefit of cages or other protective devices”. Hell yeah they should be grateful! Especially because, at that point, the cameramen probably didn’t yet know anything about how tepid the story lines and how ridiculous the plot of “Mako: The Jaws of Death” actually were! I’m secretly convinced that these people severely regretted the life-endangering efforts they made once they got to see the finished product. “We risked our lives for this piece of crap?!?” And they would be right, too. Anyways, let’s start with a bit of good news first! Despite the title and the big virulent white teeth parading the VHS-cover, this is NOT a rip-off of Jaws at all. Writer/director William Grefé only eagerly cashed in on the popularity of sharks in horror movies, but he was ambitious enough to come up with an entirely original and personal story-idea, albeit an incredibly silly one. Sonny Stein has a great understanding with sharks and refers to them as his friends. That is to say, he feeds the sharks and protects them against greedy fishermen, and in exchange they don’t eat him when he goes for a swim. The kind of relationship Willard had with rats. Through a flashback, Stein explains to a random striptease dancer how an old & anonymous shaman handed him a peculiar amulet, and since then the sharks obey him. Stein is also extremely naive and dumb, as he ‘donates’ sharks, supposedly for good causes, to a science lab and to a sleazy (and mega-fat) bar-owner for an original entertainment act. When both place abuse the animals, Stein immediately avenges his friends. The script is too implausible & idiotic for words, but everyone involved takes it very serious, like it’s the most essentially moralistic nature-versus-humans movie ever made. However, there are one or two good sequences to enjoy, notably the one where the shark-whispering hero kills a poacher and drags him behind his own boat; his mouth attached to a hook. The budget was generally very low, so don’t expect too many special effects. Heck, whenever there’s supposed to a shark attack going on, you just see a couple of fuzzy images and water mixed with red paint to raise the impression the sea turned red with blood. The acting performances are downright atrocious to observe. Especially Richard Jaeckel (“The Amazing Mr. No Legs”, “Grizzly”) really sucks in the lead. Maybe he subconsciously realized that the screenplay was a bunch of nonsense and his acting talent therefore went on a strike. His character also hasn’t got a sense of humor, which is a huge mistake according to me. He doesn’t use his shark-friends to score with the ladies, doesn’t say anything witty when he hunts down shark killers and he doesn’t even make a joke about how astonishingly fat and tasteless the owner of the striptease bar is! He’s just a silent, arrogant and asocial loner who cares too much about sharks. How sad. I’m generously rewarding this film with a four out of ten rating because I appreciate the effort and because I like sharks but, in all honesty, “Mako: The Jaws of Death” isn’t worth any rating higher than two.
Country: United States
Language: English
Duration: 91 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Also known as: Sta dontia tou lefkou karharia,Sti folia tou dolofonou karharia,Mako: Haienes venn,Στα Δόντια του Λευκού Καρχαρία,Mako – människohajen,Mako – Lo squalo della morte,Mako, der Killerhai,Killer Jaws,The Jaws of Death,Mako, el tiburón asesino,Mako: The Jaws of Death,Mako: O dolofonos karharias,Mako, el tiburón de la muerte,Saalistaja,Mako, o Tubarão Assassino,Saalistajat,Mako, tiburón asesino,Mako: Ο Δολοφόνος Καρχαρίας,Mako – Haienes venn,Maco – kuoleman kita,Denizin Dişleri,Στη Φωλιά του Δολοφόνου Καρχαρία,Mako, die Bestie,Les Mâchoires infernales
