Hot women. Deadly sharks. A deranged serial killer on a boat. Dangerous Animals has it all, and paired with effective direction by Sean Byrne and a sadistic performance by Jai Courtney, you have yourself a badass horror-thriller with a bite.
Courtney plays Bruce Tucker, a playfully charming charter captain who likes to lure unwitting tourists onto his boat and psychologically torment them before feeding them to the fishes. He’s a nasty piece of work and one of the more sinister villains you’ll see all year. Courtney, who I’m sure I disparaged earlier in his career (remember when he played John McClane’s son in the wretched A Good Day to Die Hard?), shows some gnarly tenacity here, superbly bringing to life a sadistic maniac who makes the sharks below look like minnows.
On that point, in addition to being a serial killer movie, Dangerous Animals is indeed a shark movie. Byrne delivers some gory shark attack sequences and up-levels the size of his great white hunters for maximum effect. The concept of the movie is simple: you’re not safe in the water, but you’re not safe out of the water, either.
Final girl and aforementioned “hot woman” Hassie Harrison is also a highlight as she gives a fierce performance as the determined Zephyr, who for some reason is named Zephyr. Harrison is great and shows she has the chops for this kind of horror movie and then some. She makes for a worthy protagonist–one you actually care about and who you want to survive–which makes Dangerous Animals all the more gratifying. After all, in a movie like this, there is no guarantee there will be survivors. Byrne builds palpable suspense throughout, buoyed by Harrison’s commitment to the role.
Byrne’s craft here should not be understated. A schlocky movie about serial killers and sharks could easily go overboard quickly, but with expert direction and a sharp script by Nick Lepard, Byrne easily avoids cheesiness while not taking the whole concept too seriously, either. It’s a balancing act that is executed with seemingly ease. As a result, Dangerous Animals swims with several rows of chompers, a pleasant and unexpected gift to satiate the bloodlust you must have (because otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this review).
Review by Erik Samdahl.