Mako: The Jaws of Death

1976 "Filmed without the benefit of cages, mechanical sharks and other protective devices."
4.2| 1h26m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 01 July 1976 Released
Producted By: The Cannon Group
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A man accidentally learns that he has a mystical connection with sharks, and is given a strange medallion by a shaman. Becoming more and more alienated from normal society, he develops an ability to communicate with sharks telepathically, setting out to destroy anybody who harms sharks. People enter into his strange world to exploit his weird passion, and he uses the animals to gain revenge on anybody who double crosses him.

Genre

Horror, Thriller

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Director

William Grefé

Production Companies

The Cannon Group

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Mako: The Jaws of Death Audience Reviews

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring
Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Chase_Witherspoon Sonny Stein, shark conservationist and reclusive oddball is seduced by the wife of a wealthy entrepreneur and tricked into giving up his finned friends for scientific research and sideshow entertainment. But when Sonny discovers the ruse, he uses his mystical ability to command his sharks to hunt and kill those responsible.Richard Jaeckel was always an engaging actor to watch over many decades of distinguished film service, and despite his simpleton turn here, there's still a hint of the professionalism in his thespian skills, that will endear his character and have you rooting for the shark guy. Throughout the movie, Jaeckel's rather dim alter ego descends into paranoia and eventual insanity, culminating in a frenzied rampage led by his number one Tiger shark who he commands with a telepathic dominion. In flashback we see that his supernatural power is the result of an ill-fated trek in the tributaries of South East Asia, many years earlier, where he survived in shark infested waters, and was bestowed an ancient medallion by a local Shaman.Being low budget, "The Jaws of Death" can't afford to rely on expensive special effects or the bells and whistles usually associated with shark attack pictures. Stunt men interact with real sharks, offering a raw, realistic view of the relationship between marine life and humans. Despite the daring sequences, it's an unappealing contrivance in which the two species look anything but comfortable in each other's presence, and disappointingly, the sharks look decidedly harassed and exploited, which doesn't convey the mutual respect Sonny is supposed to enjoy with his much maligned 'friends'.As much a character examination as it is a B-grade action-thriller, there's enough in Jaeckel's offbeat portrayal to warrant interest, and some familiar faces in the wings (Harold Sakata, John Davis Chandler, Luke Halpin) to provide character contrast. Worth a look if you find a reasonable DVD transfer that hasn't been re-produced from scratchy VHS source material.
MartinHafer William Grefe is one of the worst directors in film history, though oddly he has avoided the notoriety of such bad movie directors as Ed Wood, Arch Hall, Sr. and Al Adamson. Considering the horrible films to his credit, this is pretty amazing. To his credit, he has a movie about killer jellyfish ("Sting of Death"), an angry Seminole Indian god ("Death Curse of Tartu") and a crazed American-Indian who tosses poisonous snakes on people ("Stanley")--so is it any surprise that he'd make one about a nut (Richard Jaeckel) who befriends sharks and makes them devour people who mistreat them?! Despite the film's goofy premise, it actually COULD have been worthwhile if a competent man had been behind the project. After all, the idea of a man so angry at the needless slaughter of sharks for fun is a great idea--especially in light of the popularity of "Jaws" around this same time period. Many people (often in a pathetic attempt to demonstrate their manhood) kill sharks--and it is a needless waste. I could actually appreciate this premise. But, thanks to the usual level of competence in a Grefe film, the odd but workable idea turns to naught. Much of the problem was the script (and Grefe, being a great auteur, wrote the film himself). If the guy had just killed because he was a rabid environmentalist, it would have been a bit more believable. Instead, there's a flashback scene involving his and some native shark god and an amulet that is just stupid! Other significant problems involve 'actors' who seem to have little, if any, talent. Often they just stand around--as if they have no idea exactly what to do. Harold Sakata ("Oddjob" from "Goldfinger") is a good example of this. And, choppy camera work, a grainy print and an often dull script didn't help matters any!! So is this film worth seeing? Well, yes. Technically it truly deserves the score of 2--but it's also so badly made that it's also good for a laugh. Lovers of bad films will enjoy it on a kitsch level. However, the ordinary film viewer will most certainly NOT enjoy the experience and I can't imagine him or her sitting still for long once the film begins. Bad...but laughably so.
transient-2 the protagonist of this movie is very much like his near-sexual obsession - the shark - as it is described: a "misunderstood predator". Added to this, as a vengeful crusader for shark equality he's not only a murderous psychopath, he's also an unfriendly, arrogant man with a big ugly medallion and no sense of humor. In this film humans and sharks both live in competitive worlds where hunting is both the business and the pleasure. Don't expect anything edifying. The dialogue is histrionic and combative with a few genuine gems like: "You are a SICKIE! Get out of here you SHARK-LOVER!"Indeed, it's implied that sharks replace women for our curiously masculine anti-hero - ("I wouldn't be surprised if them baby sharks come out lookin' just like him.") In the beginning, he sits at a bar and watches a sexy woman on stage, as the audience hoots and howls. Later, the girl is replaced by a shark...yes, It's a feeding frenzy of abysmal performances!I would recommend this film for one reason alone - the soundtrack. There are some nice ambient grooves in here, and more than one scene has music similar to Pink Floyd circa 1969, with keyboards from 'More' or 'Ummagumma'...only this is easy listening music for creatures with walnut-sized brains.
pinoymtb2000 The story is about a guy who received a shark amulet from an old man from Mindanao, Philippines in w/c later he's protecting all of his friends ( the sharks ) and he afters those people who hunts or use sharks for business. Then later, he feels tired, killed those shark hunters and users, when he drops the amulet, his friends ( sharks ) killed him. Very very basic yet enjoyable enough, easy to understand film in w/c the focus is a semi-revenge, semi-friend loving revenge films, an average one, but worth the watch. Recommended for peeps who likes shark movies and underwater and fishing lovers too. The amulet makes it a semi-fantasy film.