User Reviews

I just purchased a DVD copy of this film, having subsisted on an ancient VHS tape for a few years. Alas, the DVD appears to have been mastered from either very poor stock, or from a VHS tape. The opening sequence is almost unwatchable. Even the credits appear blurry. The picture is dark and seems out of focus. I don't remember it being this way when I saw it in the theaters. Then again, I was six, so what did I know? I still like the psychic/psychotic connection Jaeckel has with the sharks, although I could definitely lose the hokey "shark medallion" sequence, which accomplished nothing. I've ordered a new DVD edition put out by a different company. Both versions sell very cheaply on Ebay. We'll see how it goes.

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.

This film proudly opens with the following announcement: "The producers wish to express their sincerest gratitude to the members of the underwater crew who risked their lives to film the shark sequences without the benefit of cages or other protective devices". Hell yeah they should be grateful! Especially because, at that point, the cameramen probably didn't yet know anything about how tepid the story lines and how ridiculous the plot of "Mako: The Jaws of Death" actually were! I'm secretly convinced that these people severely regretted the life-endangering efforts they made once they got to see the finished product. "We risked our lives for this piece of crap?!?" And they would be right, too. Anyways, let's start with a bit of good news first! Despite the title and the big virulent white teeth parading the VHS-cover, this is NOT a rip-off of Jaws at all. Writer/director William Grefé only eagerly cashed in on the popularity of sharks in horror movies, but he was ambitious enough to come up with an entirely original and personal story-idea, albeit an incredibly silly one. Sonny Stein has a great understanding with sharks and refers to them as his friends. That is to say, he feeds the sharks and protects them against greedy fishermen, and in exchange they don't eat him when he goes for a swim. The kind of relationship Willard had with rats. Through a flashback, Stein explains to a random striptease dancer how an old & anonymous shaman handed him a peculiar amulet, and since then the sharks obey him. Stein is also extremely naive and dumb, as he 'donates' sharks, supposedly for good causes, to a science lab and to a sleazy (and mega-fat) bar-owner for an original entertainment act. When both place abuse the animals, Stein immediately avenges his friends. The script is too implausible & idiotic for words, but everyone involved takes it very serious, like it's the most essentially moralistic nature-versus-humans movie ever made. However, there are one or two good sequences to enjoy, notably the one where the shark-whispering hero kills a poacher and drags him behind his own boat; his mouth attached to a hook. The budget was generally very low, so don't expect too many special effects. Heck, whenever there's supposed to a shark attack going on, you just see a couple of fuzzy images and water mixed with red paint to raise the impression the sea turned red with blood. The acting performances are downright atrocious to observe. Especially Richard Jaeckel ("The Amazing Mr. No Legs", "Grizzly") really sucks in the lead. Maybe he subconsciously realized that the screenplay was a bunch of nonsense and his acting talent therefore went on a strike. His character also hasn't got a sense of humor, which is a huge mistake according to me. He doesn't use his shark-friends to score with the ladies, doesn't say anything witty when he hunts down shark killers and he doesn't even make a joke about how astonishingly fat and tasteless the owner of the striptease bar is! He's just a silent, arrogant and asocial loner who cares too much about sharks. How sad. I'm generously rewarding this film with a four out of ten rating because I appreciate the effort and because I like sharks but, in all honesty, "Mako: The Jaws of Death" isn't worth any rating higher than two.

This movie is about a guy whose best friends are sharks.

He talks to them and gets revenge if anybody hurts them. A science lab does something awful to his sharks and they pay the price. The music score for this movie is quite good and it sets the mood. Also the only thing this movie has in common with Jaws is that it has sharks in it, the plot is totally different. It also has some amusing parts in it too. All in all a fun, amusing shark movie. I give Mako: The Jaws of Death **1/2 out of ****

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.

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to my review of 1976s Mako: Jaws Of Death

The story gets a 1 out of 2: The trouble with this film is its ridiculous story. The writers barely bother hiding its stupidity. It wouldn't have been so harmful if they'd played it for laughs. I find it strange they ramble through this Shark Whisperer tale as though talking to sharks was typical. I know we all talk to our pets, but this guy believes the sharks talk back to him.

However, I have to say I fully embrace the idea of an eco-warrior trying to save the little fishes. Sharks have been much-aligned for years. It's about time they bit back because of their critical press. It's just a shame the writers decided to handle it in such a manner.

The Direction and Pace receive a 2.25 out of 4: What deems this an okay film is the direction. Most of the sharks are real. However, I'm hoping the multiple deceased ones in the movie were merely rubber props. Otherwise, that makes the moral of the tale hypocritical.

Where the direction falls flat is in the creation of atmosphere. It would've been enjoyable to feel anxious whenever the sharks attacked. But the director films it in a matter-of-fact fashion, which adds a smidgeon of boredom to the scenes. This film needed more tension and scares, which would have made it more powerful. Which, of course, talks of pacing. The movie has a steady pace, and it doesn't work. This style of story cries out for a roller-coaster style tempo. Because of the steadiness, I found my attention faltering.

The Acting gets a 1 out of 2: There are a few known faces in this film, and none of them helped make this film more entertaining. Even the Eco-Hero played by Richard Jaeckel felt out of place with his odd and peculiar character. However, I do have to give him respect because he nailed ominous. This guy can stand and stare, and you know you'll have to fight like hell to survive.

And, my Enjoyment level hits a 0.75 out of 2: Unfortunately, the ridiculous story and principal character hindered Mako too much. Couple that with the monotonous pacing and my failing attention, and you develop a sub-par movie.

The total scores give Mako a 5 out of 10: This is one of those weekend afternoon movies you choose to watch if there's no match. I wouldn't recommend you rush to watch it. In fact, I wouldn't recommend viewing this movie until you've exhausted all your other shark films.

Pull on your speedo's and breaststroke over to my Killer Thriller Chillers and Monstrous lists to see where these misrepresented man-eaters and their bestie drowned in my rankings.

Take care and stay well.

This cult horror flick has a memorable central character and some creepy shark-attack scenes, but its porno film-level production values and weak (I'm being kind) acting really bring it down. Better script than direction. Not without interest for 1970s drive-in movie fans, but the VHS copy I saw begged to be remastered and reissued. (Apparently Richard Jaeckel plays the lead, but the film was so dark I couldn't tell you for sure if it was him.) Would make a good double bill with Ben/Willard. 5/10.

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.

This film starts off by thanking the underwater directorial team for risking their lives for the making of it. I sincerely hope that this is just some sort of ploy and not actually the case, as Mako: The Jaws of Death is definitely not a film that anyone should even consider risking their life over. In 1975, Steven Spielberg released what is probably the great shark movie of all time with Jaws, but he really has a lot to answer for as that film inspired a whole host of awful (mostly Italian) rip-offs. I've only seen a handful of Jaws rip-offs, but even among the few that I've seen – Mako: The Jaws of Death surely ranks right down near the bottom, and that's actually a shame because it has a fairly decent plot idea going for it. Basically, we focus on a man with a bond for sharks. He keeps a few as 'friends' but attracts interest from local entities - including a scientist and a nightclub. He ends up loaning out some of his sharks, but is not impressed with their treatment and so decides to take his revenge...

The film does manage a true seventies exploitation style and while the film obviously shot on a very low budget, it still manages to be fairly good in that respect. The problem really is with the way that the plot is developed as it doesn't fulfil its potential and none of the characters are interesting enough to really care about, and that unfortunately includes the lead who really should have been a lot better considering his strange interest in sharks. There are a couple of familiar faces in the cast list - most notably Richard Jaeckel and Harold Sakata, who is credited in this film as Harold "Oddjob" Sakata. Unfortunately (saying that a lot in this review...), considering that the film is about sharks, sharks actually don't feature all that often and when they do it's a bit of a let-down. The film also lacks a lot of humour, and while it's clear that the filmmakers were not making a serious horror film to the audience; apparently they themselves were oblivious that fact! Overall, Mako: The Jaws of Death is a silly and tepid film and should not really be viewed by anyone!

Someone already pointed out that MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH is a hybrid of JAWS and a cult classic about a young man with a twisted connection to rats, WILLARD. But this film's director William Grefé's STANLEY, about a slightly older fella hooked on snakes, already borrowed from the WILLARD template, making JAWS OF DEATH a clone of a clone of a clone...

As Richard Jaekel, no stranger to creepy roles despite or even accentuated by his blond-haired, man-next-door look, goes back and forth from the seaside town to the sea itself, where the opening credits of a diver swimming smoothly beside a killer shark proves the introductory scrawl, about how the underwater crew risked their lives in making this motion picture, wasn't just for show: the first two minutes alone defines exploitation cinema at its finest, and riskiest...

But for the fictional story, time moves rather slow like in these kind of shoddy, super low budget films, especially conversations between Jaekel and the sexy tavern-swimming dame he saves from being raped by two town bullies...

Seedy shark-hunters played by cult actors Harold 'Odd Job' Sakata ala GOLDFINGER and John Davis Chandler, who looks like Jaekel's brother from another father... Peter Lorre. And Jennifer Bishop's Karen isn't very wise when Jaekel shows-off two pet sharks he feeds from an estuary below his island shack's floorboard. She actually calls him crazy, right then and there. No other ingenue in a killer fish flick has ever asked for it so much... but that's only the beginning of her extremely predictable/inevitable fate...

Meanwhile, her boss and boyfriend, and the film's primary exploiter, Buffy Dee as Barney, is the real target: he owns the club where both the girl and Jaekel's trained shark will swim behind glass for the patrons (throwing in a little KING KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG influence)...

Going back to WILLARD, Barney's the Ernest Borgnine character here (who played Bruce Davison's bitter boss), only Jaekel works for no one but himself. And again like STANLEY, practically note-for-note, the girl erotically "dances" with the main character's beloved pet... that he unwittingly sold for that reason, while not realizing the otherwise docile predator would be unfairly harmed: plus there's a trusted doctor that winds up a backstabber, and he also doesn't live very long...

But the best, most original scene occurs in the beginning where a fishing charter boat thinks they caught a prized Mako, and in fact, for a few minutes, they have: until ascending angel Jaekel moves in wielding severe yet entertaining ultra-violence... but perhaps too soon...

More similar creative body count moments distributed evenly throughout would've made this a lot more fun for the drive-in audience it seems intentionally made for/catered to. Instead there's a lot of waiting between preachy talk about protecting sharks from evil humans...

It's always more fun when the psychotic lead isn't so idealistic and self-righteous wherein, like SILENT RUNNING, he kills for supposedly forgivable reasons. But for shark cinema enthusiasts, MAKO, definitely more well filmed than well put-together, is something to admire, at least once.

This is without a doubt one of the worst films I have ever seen. My wife, some friends, and I rented this because we thought we could at least laugh at how bad it was. We were wrong.

The basic story has some, but little, promise or value, while the plot development and screenplay are extremely forced, contrived, and, in a word, cretinous. The basic story itself is ludicrous but could have been the core of a much better film had the development been handled with at least some skill, and had the makers not thrown in seemingly haphazard, unexplained scenes or focused on apparently irrelevant events that seem destined to have some role only to be forgotten half way through. The directing, acting, etc., are all utterly dreadful and the cinematography is little better than that of a home-made movie. Richard Jaeckel, befitting his vast experience compared to the other cast members, is a bit better than the others and only he sometimes has some dim spark that brings his acting up to a mediocre level. The other "actors" are universally abysmal. I could add more, but this film really isn't worth much effort.

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.

A low-budget movie about a man who befriends the sharks. He seeks revenge against anyone trying to hurt them.

The best part about the movie would be the real shark footage. None of the sharks are fake, all real footage. There is plenty of it too. The rest of the movie is a little questionable. The filming is lower-budget. The story so simple that it's very slow in most places with little script and not much going on. It's not a horror movie and not a comedy. Maybe a thriller/drama? There's no gore. Very little action. The movie nearly waits until the end for it to pick up a little.

I can't decide who the bad guy is. They make the man seem weird and bad because he feeds people to the sharks. But if you think about it, the people are actually the bad ones for poaching or intentionally harming the sharks. And yet the movie fails to make us feel sympathy for the sharks, instead we only feel fear. There is very little human connection or relationships in the movie. Very little emotion being shown. And the ending is disappointing.

It's a fun plot, but the movie lacked in the ability to really bring it to life on screen. I did enjoy all of the real shark footage. And I liked the fact they did not use any fake CGI or robotics or things. I did enjoy the main actor as well.

To its credit, the underwater and shark scenes are actually pretty good for a low budget flick. Everything else? Not so good and I would say sub-standard. Poor character development for all characters doesn't help to support the flimsy plot, so you get a meandering, boring mess for the most part. It has potential but fall flat.

Sonny loves sharks.He feeds them and swims with them.But when a group of fisherman set out to exploit and kill the sharks Sonny and his carnivorous friends take bloody revenge."Mako:Jaws of Death" by William Grefe is an average animal attack film with unspectacular death scenes.The performances are weak and there is no suspense.The cinematography is murky and there is very little blood.However some underwater shots look impressive.I have seen "Whiskey Mountain" by William Grefe and I must say that I enjoyed that movie more than "Mako:The Jaws of Death".Still if you are into low-budget 70's horror "Mako" is definitely one to check out.6 sharks out of 10.

A man with a mystical connection to sharks goes off the deep end and does anything to get revenge on those who abuse sharks. Sort of an ecological movie, before there was such a thing.

The year before this movie came out I was too young to go see Jaws, but when this came to our local theater, I hounded my mom until she took me to see this. I later repaid her kindness by keeping her awake all night with my shark nightmares.

Not a Jaws ripoff at all, although it was accused of being one. Maybe it was the "jaws" in the title or following in the fishsteps of that other shark movie so soon after?

Richard Jaeckel helps sell this with his dedicated, intense performance.

Veteran actor Richard Jaeckel makes the most of a juicy, top-billed role here. Sonny Stein is a lover and protector of sharks, and has been ever since sharks actually saved his life during a Vietnam War incident. Now he looks out for the oceanic predators, and dispatches various unlucky humans should they have the temerity to hurt or exploit Sonny's finned friends.

Florida-based filmmaker William Grefe came up with the idea for this one himself, but it wouldn't be until the Hollywood blockbuster "Jaws" had its great success that investors saw potential in Grefes' story concept. Much like Grefes' own "Stanley", itself inspired by "Willard", this is a tale about a lonely, maladjusted main character who feels a kinship with a certain species of animal. And it's a solid, entertaining story. Right up front, there is text telling us that the scenes in this film were done with real human beings interacting with real sharks. Grefe and company didn't have the luxury of being able to create their own mechanical shark, but in the end realism serves them quite well.

A striking, fairly unusual music score by William Loose & Paul Ruhland works as perfect accompaniment to this film. The Florida locales also give it a lot of atmosphere. One of the best bits is the finale wherein Sonny flees from the cops during a hurricane; it's pretty exciting.

Jaeckel is fantastic as our sympathetic antagonist, and is ably supported by a good cast. Jenifer Bishop plays a swimmer who functions as entertainment for a bar. Buffy Dee is her husband / boss who smells a business opportunity when made aware of Sonny's status as a "shark whisperer". Harold 'Odd Job' Sakata and John Davis Chandler are effectively loathsome as sleazy, shark poaching creeps. And Ben Kronen is amusing as a nerdy scientist who informs Sonny that if he doesn't cooperate with him, his beloved buddies could end up with bounties on their heads.

"Mako: The Jaws of Death" is good fun for any fan of the "Nature Strikes Back" genre, with good death scenes, a bit of humour, and an appropriate respect for nature. Grefe handled the excellent underwater scenes himself, having performed the same duty for the James Bond adventure "Live and Let Die".

Seven out of 10.

Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976)

* (out of 4)

William Grefe's film about a lonely man who befriends the sharks and soon trains them to kill. Universal sued the filmmakers of this claiming it was a Jaws rip-off, which it somewhat is but the film owes more to the director's Stanley, which was nothing more than a Willard rip. Either way, this is a pretty bad movie that doesn't have too much going for it except for some of the underwater scenes with the sharks. None of these rips will ever be as good as Jaws but there aren't too many as bad as this one here.