The era of the late '70s/early '80s was chock-full of JAWS rip-offs: they came from Mexico, the Philippines, and most of all, Italy. This is one of the most blatant copies out there, directed by cult action favourite Enzo G. Castellari, and it has the dubious history of having been pulled from North American theatres by Universal because the similarities with JAWS were just too many. For what it's worth, I love rip-off films and I love "when animals attack" horrors, so I was well placed to enjoy THE LAST SHARK. It's no masterpiece, but it is a fun, brainless film.
Castellari was famous for his 'polizia' flicks in the '70s, usually starring Franco Nero. His trademark was slow-motion; he used it in stunts, in shoot-outs, you name it. It's present here in some superbly hilarious death scenes and at random other times (usually when somebody is falling slow-motion into the water). Otherwise, his direction is good, although he's let down by a pedestrian script that never strays far from Spielberg territory. Roy Scheider is replaced by James Franciscus (who already tried his hand with underwater monsters in KILLER FISH), and Robert Shaw by a slumming Vic Morrow. There's a lack of decent eye-candy, and Castellari's daughter, Stefania Girolami, doesn't really cut it. As another negative, none of the characters are very well developed and they all seem rather unpleasant.
Still, for a thriller this isn't bad, and by Italian standards it's decent. It helps that THE LAST SHARK has an absolutely brilliant score which, I thinks, rivals that of JAWS itself. The action sequences are also pretty good, and they don't skimp on the gore either. My favourite scenes include the half-a-victim gag (when said person is pulled out of water/trapdoor/ladder/hole etc. and it's revealed their legs are missing), an absolutely hilarious set-piece in which the shark attacks a helicopter (ripping off JAWS 2) and bites a guy's legs off, and some other fun bits where victims literally 'explode' out of the water (the obvious dummies add to the fun). The ending is abrupt, and crucially it doesn't reveal the shark's death (apparently it was blown up or electrocuted or something) but the special effects are surprisingly great and there's one moment of a real-life shark devouring raw meat which is absolutely terrifying. THE LAST SHARK is a treat for those who like movie cheese.
Castellari was famous for his 'polizia' flicks in the '70s, usually starring Franco Nero. His trademark was slow-motion; he used it in stunts, in shoot-outs, you name it. It's present here in some superbly hilarious death scenes and at random other times (usually when somebody is falling slow-motion into the water). Otherwise, his direction is good, although he's let down by a pedestrian script that never strays far from Spielberg territory. Roy Scheider is replaced by James Franciscus (who already tried his hand with underwater monsters in KILLER FISH), and Robert Shaw by a slumming Vic Morrow. There's a lack of decent eye-candy, and Castellari's daughter, Stefania Girolami, doesn't really cut it. As another negative, none of the characters are very well developed and they all seem rather unpleasant.
Still, for a thriller this isn't bad, and by Italian standards it's decent. It helps that THE LAST SHARK has an absolutely brilliant score which, I thinks, rivals that of JAWS itself. The action sequences are also pretty good, and they don't skimp on the gore either. My favourite scenes include the half-a-victim gag (when said person is pulled out of water/trapdoor/ladder/hole etc. and it's revealed their legs are missing), an absolutely hilarious set-piece in which the shark attacks a helicopter (ripping off JAWS 2) and bites a guy's legs off, and some other fun bits where victims literally 'explode' out of the water (the obvious dummies add to the fun). The ending is abrupt, and crucially it doesn't reveal the shark's death (apparently it was blown up or electrocuted or something) but the special effects are surprisingly great and there's one moment of a real-life shark devouring raw meat which is absolutely terrifying. THE LAST SHARK is a treat for those who like movie cheese.