JAWS
A film review by David Landers
Copyright 1997 David Landers
RATING: **** out of **** - 8.5 out of 10.0
CAST: Roy Scheider (Martin Brody), Robert Shaw (Quint), Richard Dreyfuss
(Hooper), Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), Murray Hamilton (Mayor Vaughan)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
CERTIFICATION: PG (USA) for shark attacks and mild violence
YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1975
ACADEMY AWARDS: Music and Film Editing
JAWS is an unforgettable thriller, pioneer for future filmmaking, and
the main cause for a fear of the ocean. Steven Spielberg's first big
film, JAWS is one of those movies that you can watch over and over again
and just not get tired of it. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, JAWS
is the story of Amity Island, a small resort on the Atlantic Ocean, that
suddenly becomes terrorized by a Great White shark.
The movie begins in a fantastic, thrilling way. A group of teenagers are
having at night, drinking and having fun. Two of the party-goers leave the
group for a midnight swim. Chrissie (Susan Backlinie), who will be
forever known as this role, is the girl who leaves. Once she begins to
swim, she is attacked. In a scene that probably made a few movie-goers
leave the theater, a lasting impression is left as to how vicious this
shark can be.
Chief of Police Martin Brody, played very well by Roy Scheider, is
assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the girl. The
only witness was a drunken man who can't really remember anything. When
the remains are eventually found, the first assumption (by Brody) is a
shark attack. But, many town officials don't want it to be classified as
a shark attack, and feel that it is a "boat accident". The beaches are
closed and many locals decide to take it upon themselves to hunt down the
shark. Eventually, Hooper, a young scientist portrayed terrifically by
Richard Dreyfuss, is brought in to investigate the possible shark problem.
Once he sees the remains of the first victim, he is one hundred percent
sure that this is no "boating accident" and that the shark they are
dealing with is definitely posses a serious threat to the resort island.
The beaches remain open and the visitors are allowed to swim freely.
Soon, another victim is attacked by the killer shark, this time a young
boy. This sets off a manhunt for the shark, led by Chief Brody. A killer
shark is killed and thought to be the shark responsible for the deaths of
the two victims. When they find out this shark is not the shark they are
looking for, Chief Brody, Hooper, and Quint (played by the late Robert
Shaw), a veteran shark fisherman, set off to hunt down the shark that is
plaguing the small resort island. After a while, the shark turns on the
boat and its crew, and the men are left to not only eliminate the shark,
but save their own lives.
JAWS is a seemingly non-stop action/thriller with countless unforgettable
moments and quotes. Aside from the entire sequence of events when the
crew is attempting to kill this very large fish, Quint's story of the
U.S.S. Indianapolis (a scene written by Shaw) is a very detailed and
memorable scene. JAWS is, by today's standards, probably not as
suspenseful as most movies, but for 1975, it was a definite
edge-of-your-seat thriller that left the nation petrified of the ocean.
* David Landers - dml@gwis.com - http://www.gwis.com/~dml/ *
Have I seen this movie: Yes, Many Times
And what did I think: This is one movie that I never get tired of
watching. Jaws is a true horror classic that will make you think
twice about going to the beach again. This is Spielberg's first
at directing a major movie , and one of his best I believe. The
story itself is pretty simple... a giant killer shark terrorizes
a small town. However, Spielberg manages to deliver a great story
and the trio of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and the
late Robert Shaw is absolutely delightful. Some of the best scenes
take place on the boat when they are hunting the shark. A great
dialogue takes place when the men are drinking and showing off
their scars, and listening to Hooper's stories. I remember watching
this film as a kid, and it has always been one of my all-time
favorites. Actually my uncle was an extra in one of the beach scenes.
There were 3 sequels that followed, each one worse then the previous,
and none could match the original. Jaws 2 wasn't that bad, but what
was really missing was Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. The three
of them really made this movie shine. I give Jaws 5 out of 5 stars.
Review written June 22, 1999
