Release Date: 22 July 1977
Run Time: 92 minutes
Origin: USA
Mimi's Rating: 4 sunk boats out of 5
Death Wish if Paul Kersey was played by a Cetacean.
What I expected: a silly 'animals attack' movie à la Lake Placid. What I got: a melancholic story of revenge with a pro-nature message.
"He loved his family... more than I loved mine".
'Orca: The Killer Whale' follows the Irish Captain Nolan (Richard Harris), on the hunt for a great white shark. Desperate for a big payday, he plans to sell the shark to an aquarium. Two marine biologists are also in the area, one of whom is scuba diving. When the shark begins to target the marine biologists, the fishing crew gives the diver, Rachel (Charlotte Rampling), refuge on their ship. But her male companion, Ken, ends up falling into the sea. Just as it appears that the shark will have Ken for lunch, an Orca intervenes. It strikes the shark so hard it flies out of the water, and Ken is saved.
Skipping ahead, we find out Nolan has taken an interest in Orcas and has begun to attend Rachel's lectures on the topic. But, as Rachel says in her voice-over: 'Fishermen are rarely curious about anything at sea unless they want to catch it or kill it.' And now, Nolan wants to capture an adult male Orca and sell it to a "Marine Land" type attraction. He claims that the whale 'will live a long, happy life in some aquarium.'
And so, Nolan and crew head out in search of their Orca. While attempting to capture a large male, Nolan recklessly hits a pregnant female with the tranquillizing harpoon. Choosing death over life in captivity, the female Orca attempts suicide using the boat's propellers. When the dying whale is hoisted onboard the ship, she miscarries in what has to be the most disturbing scene in the film. Horrified by what he's done, Nolan hoses the fetus off the ship. The male Orca watches in anguish.
Now out for revenge, the male Orca follows Nolan's ship that still carries his dying mate. When he begins to attack them, they decide to cut the female loose and dump her overboard. While this is happening, the Orca kills a crew member named Novak. Nolan and the Orca make eye contact.
The Orca and his pod mourn the death of the female. He follows Nolan back to port and beaches the corpse of the female as if to say, 'This is what you've done, and I'm coming for you.'
At first, Nolan does not want to fight the Orca and he promises Rachel that he won't go after the whale. But when the Orca continues to attack the village, sinks all the other fishing boats, and ultimately destroys his house and maims Annie (another crew member), he is forced to react. Who will be the winner in this battle between man and beast? Find out in: Orca: The Killer Whale!
This was not the silly killer animal movie I was expecting. Orca capitalizes on the success of Jaws, but it was a more sombre, emotional, and nuanced film than expected. The Orca is not a creature driven by the mindless desire for violence. He is motivated by the love he feels for his mate. Nolan is not a purely unethical man being driven by greed. He has traumas that motivate his actions. We find out that Nolan's wife and child were killed by a drunk driver. This perfectly mirrors the events with the Orca. Both their families were taken away by a man who made an unforgivable mistake. Nolan remarks 'He loved his family... more than I loved mine' because the whale is willing to do anything to get revenge and Nolan feels guilt for not having done the same.
This relationship hits somewhere between a Kirk/Khan or an Ahab/Moby Dick. Nolan empathizes with the whale but also wants revenge for his fallen crewmates. But at the same time, Nolan comes to terms with the fact that he is the villain of this story.
In a post-Blackfish world, the plight of the Orcas hit extra hard. All of the footage of the captive Orcas used in the film unintentionally added to the melancholic feel. The scene where the Orca sinks all the fishing boats is prophetic in light of current events. I appreciate that they decided not to make the whales mindless killing machines. While the plot is not entirely accurate to actual Orca behaviours, it's fine considering what they were doing with the story. The more silly scenes that I did enjoy were when the orca burns down the village and later swims off with a woman's leg like a dog with a bone. There's also a funny shot when the Orca appears to be smugly watching the fire that did make me laugh.
Most of the on-location filming was done in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and it's just perfect for this film. The foggy east coast shoreline helps to capture the mood of this film. And the isolation of it mirrors the isolation and loneliness Nolan must feel.
As for Nolan, Harris is fantastic in the role. If the trivia is to be believed, he was going through some drama in his real life and it comes out in his performance in the best way. He also allegedly did his own stunts. Charlotte Rampling added gravitas as the cetologist, Rachel and I enjoyed her scenes opposite Harris. They share an especially tender moment near the end of the film.
The main problem with the film would be editing. Some of the edits can be jarring or downright confusing. It didn't take away too much from the film, but it's there.
The score by Ennio Morricone is beautiful and emotional and also helps to elevate this film above similar Jaws-inspired films. Seriously, it's worth a listen even if you don't plan on watching the film (I think you should watch it).
"Can you commit a sin against an animal?"
"Why, you can commit a sin against a blade of grass. Sins are really against oneself"
Bonus: features the first onscreen role of Bo Derek as Annie.
Why you should watch:
You want to see an 'animal attacks' movie that goes a bit deeper.
You are team Orca.
You like revenge films.
Why you shouldn't watch:
I'm pretty sure they killed an actual great white in that opening scene.
This seems to be the type of movie that people will either connect with or laugh at and find absolutely ridiculous. If you can't suspend your disbelief in service of the story, this might not be the movie for you.