L'ultimo squalo (1981)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Vincenzo Mannino (screenplay)
Marc Princi (writer)

Release Date:

March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A quiet, restful summer in the lazy coastal town of Port Harbor is abruptly about to end.

Plot:

An enormous and angry 35 foot Great White Shark takes revenge on humans when they build a beach just for swimmers by a coastal town...

Plot Keywords:

Shark | Shark Attack | Mayor | Dismemberment | Helicopter

Cast

James Franciscus	...	Peter Benton (as James Francicus)
Vic Morrow	...	Ron Hamer
Micaela Pignatelli	...	Gloria Benton (as Micky Pignatelli)
Joshua Sinclair	...	Mayor William Wells
Giancarlo Prete	...	Bob Martin (as Timothy Brent)
Stefania Girolami Goodwin	...	Jenny Benton (as Stefania Girolami)
Gian Marco Lari
Chuck Kaufman
Gail Moore
Joyce Lee	...	Kelly Michaels, fourth victim
Don Devendorf
Bill Eudaly
Bill Starks
Rita Martin
Lance Hilliard

Also Known As:

Great White (USA)
Shark
The Last Jaws (USA) (video title)
The Last Shark (International: English title)

Runtime:

88 min | Spain:82 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (video) (1983) | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2008) | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Film Ventures International (FVI)

Trivia:

A clip of this movie is on "The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made" DVD Region 1 NTSC.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Derivative as hell but oh so much fun

This wonderfully entertaining (and hugely derivative!) flick plays out like a veritable whose who of the Italian movie industry. Indeed, regular fans of the sadly missed Italian B-movie heyday will have a field day spotting a plethora of stars of the time including top billed James Franciscus, Vic morrow, Romano Puppo, Massimo Vanni, and Giancarlo Prete. A splendid cast - in fact it could only have been topped if Luciano Pigozzi would have popped up at some point!

Of course, the film itself is a completely shameless rip off of the Spielberg classic Jaws, but let's be honest - it's so much damned fun that you just won't care. Special mention must also go to the shark itself in this which whilst not as menacing as Bruce from the aforementioned Hollywood blockbuster, is nonetheless a very impressive rendition considering the tiny budget of the film.

Well, what are you waiting for? Track this gem down my fellow B-movie lovers.

Final note: Be sure to grab a beer and sing along to the cool opening soundtrack in this - ah, those high notes sure do sound wonderful don't they? ;o)