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Killer Fish
Killer Fish - Agguato sul Fondo / O Peixo Assassino / Naked Sun / Deadly Treasure of the Piranha / Piranha II - Die Rache der Killerfische
Italy/Brazil/UK/USA 1977
produced by Carlo Ponti, Alex Ponti, Enzo Barone (executive), Olivier Perroy (executive), Turi Vasile (executive) for Filmar do Brasil, Victoria Pictures, ITC, Fawcett-Majors Productions
directed by Anthony M. Dawson (= Antonio Margheriti)
starring Lee Majors, Karen Black, Margaux Hemingway, James Franciscus, Roy Brocksmith, Dan Pastorini, Frank Pesce, Charles Guardino, Anthony Steffen, Fábio Sabag, Chico Arago, Gary Collins, Sônica Oiticica, Celso Faria
written by Michael Rogers, music by Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis, special effects by Riccardo Pallottini, Augusto Possanza, Waldomiro Reis
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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Lasky (Lee Majors) is the leader of a team of masterthieves whose
latest raid involves to blow up a whole powerstation just to steal a
fortune in diamonds. The loot is later sunk in a lake, and Lasky and
friends agree to not dive for the loot for the next 60 days. Of course,
some of the gang are overcome by greed and want their share a little
sooner then others - and when going diving they are eaten up by piranhas.
Turns out one of the gang, gambler Diller (James Franciscus), has taken
some extra precautions to keep the loot safe. But then Diller and his
girlfriend Kate (Karen Black) decide to get the diamonds for themselves
just the same, and somehow Diller persuades Kate to do the dive, and she
is almost eaten by the piranhas as well. But once Diller and Kate have the
stones, they have to realize their boat has sunk, so they hitch a ride
with a tourship - that for some reason also carries Lasky, who has long
grown wise of Diller's betrayal, and his model girlfriend Gabrielle
(Margaux Hemingway). Then though a hurricane wrecks the tourboat, and
suddenly everybody finds himself on a sinking ship, in piranha-infested
waters. A raft is dropped from a rescue plane, but Lasky has to swim for
it and is almost killed by piranhas in the process - and then Diller
hijacks the raft for himself only, even leaves Kate behind - but Lasky
sees to it that he is turned into piranha food as well. Soon, everybody
else is saved, and somehow Kate and Lasky trick each other into sharing
the loot. Veteran actor Anthony Steffen plays the captain of the
tourship. Killer Fish is best described as a competent
low budget crime/action movie. There are some great
(miniature-effects-)scenes in there, like the explosion of the power plant
early on, or the bursting of a dam when the hurricane strikes, but on a
plot level, the film has very little new to offer and loses itself in a
few too many unlikely plottwists. On top of that, the piranha attacks,
which by all means are supposed to be the highlights of the film, are
rather unspectacularly handled. Add to that the fact that none of the cast
manage to really convince, and you are left with - well, a competent low
budget movie, nothing you will hate watching, but nothing you will
remember, either.
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