Review: Orca: the Killer Whale


Title character gets seriously PO’d when Irish fisherman Richard Harris kills its mate. Charlotte Rampling is a marine biologist, whilst Harris’ crew include Peter Hooten, Bo Derek, Keenan Wynn, and Robert Carradine. Will Sampson plays the same wise, stoic, big-arse Indian he always does.

 

Dreary, unexciting 1977 Michael Anderson (whose résumé includes “Around the World in 80 Days” and “The Quiller Memorandum”) killer whale film somewhat in the “Jaws” mould has somnambulant performances by stars Harris (playing an Irish Ahab) and Rampling (whose narration is as boring as it is unevenly used), and a wasted supporting cast. Just what the hell is Bo Derek doing here? Not that I’ve ever been a fan, but who was she again? It’s her first major motion picture role, for those who care.

 

It has a wonderfully weird (Spaghetti marine? Aqua spaghetti?) music score by the great Ennio Morricone (“The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly”, “The Untouchables”, “Once Upon a Time in the West”), but the gory death scenes seem out of place in this dull and otherwise innocuous film (*****SPOILER***** though Wynn’s death is actually well-done *****END SPOILER*****) that fails to convince us that the cute whale is a killer. Furthermore, I find the whole thing to be like the reverse of “Death Wish”; Richard Harris essentially commits B&E in the ocean, kills a pregnant whale, and then Orca (i.e. Charles Bronson) comes to kick some vengeful arse. Am I the only one thinking that? Yes? Alright then.

 

Anderson ain’t no Spielberg, and Harris is a poor substitute for Robert Shaw. Pretty pissweak stuff. Mind you, it’s still preferable to ‘MacArthur Park’. Do I even need to mention that this is a film from the stable of Dino De Laurentiis (“War and Peace”, “King Kong”, “Barbarella”, “Drum”)? The screenplay is by Luciano Vincenzoni (Leone’s “A Fistful of Dynamite”, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”, and “For a Few Dollars More”) and Sergio Donati (“A Fistful of Dynamite”, “Once Upon a Time in the West”, and “Beyond Justice”, a lesser Rutger Hauer vehicle), with apparent uncredited work by Robert Towne (“Chinatown”, “Personal Best”).

 

Rating: D+

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