DANGEROUS ANIMALS

4 stars

Vertigo Releasing. UK and Ireland cinemas. 6th June

When is shark movie not a shark movie – when it’s about a ruthless serial killer who uses the toothy terrors as his means of killing his victims…

Tucker (Jai Courtney, TERMINATOR GENESYS and SUICIDE SQUAD), comes across and an affable and friendly chap, who runs boat trips, with a speciality. He takes people out to swim with sharks (in the appropriate cages). Except, when he decides to make them his latest victim, often targeting couples – feeding one to the sharks, whilst the other one watches… and he videos the killing for his later delectation. Nice chap!

We meet Zephyr (Hassie Harrison, YELLOWSTONE), a carefree surfer who drives around in a large van. At a petrol station she is asked for help from a young guy Moses (Josh Houston) who needs jumper cables to start his car. They flirt and hook up. He’s disappointed later when she has driven away. You know he will feature later on.

Parking up at a surfing spot she meets our friendly neighbourhood psycho, who lends her a tool she needs and then leaves – except he then returns, kidnapping her and throwing her in the back of his pick up – and taking her to his boat. She finds herself handcuffed to a bed below decks. Another girl, who we have seen in the opening scene, is also there. But Tucker hasn’t reckoned with the resourceful surfer – can she break free, fight back and escape before she becomes shark food?

Courtney is terrifically terrifying as the seemingly jovial but sadisticly cruel serial killer. He’s a nasty piece of work. Harrison is also excellent as the resourceful Zephyr. Tasmanian director Sean Byrne, who previously helmed THE LOVED ONES (2009) and THE DEVIL’S CANDY (2015), has crafted a gut wrenching, tense and exciting thriller with growing, palpable tension. This a great, gripping variation on the killer shark genre in that it isn’t the usual folks stranded at sea and attacked by sharp teethed denizen: rather this is using sharks with intent. Well worth a watch.

Steve Kirkham