Orca, The Killer Whale (1977) – Film Review

Director: Michael Anderson
Cast: Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson
Certificate: 12

By Sarah Morgan

Jaws has a lot to answer for.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Steven Spielberg’s 1975 smash-hit movie, but it not only changed the face of films forever, ushering in the notion of the summer blockbuster, it also spawned a huge number of copycats, all hoping to cash in on its success.

Suddenly, cinema screens during the late-1970s and early 1980s were occupied by creatures-on-the-rampage tales, including Grizzly, Piranha, Alligator, Eaten Alive and, of course, Orca.

The last on that list has been dusted down and given a 4K restoration, which is now available on Blu-ray. But does it deserve such treatment?

“Heartfelt performances”

Well, that perhaps depends on whether or not you believe a killer whale could plot revenge on the fisherman it holds responsible for the deaths of his mate and unborn calf.

Yes, that in a nutshell is the plot of this lavishly mounted horror-adventure tale, which was backed by Dino De Laurentiis, the flamboyant Italian producer who didn’t seem to believe in being subtle – among his many other credits are the 1976 remake of King Kong, David Lynch’s ill-fated take on Dune, Death Wish and Conan the Barbarian.

De Laurentiis himself commissioned Orca and spared little expense, bringing in director Michael Anderson, who also made the fantastic Dam Busters and was fresh from his success with Logan’s Run, and commissioning the esteemed Ennio Morricone to create the score.

Hiring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Keenan Wynne, Will Sampson, Robert Carradine and Bo Derek must have seemed a good idea too – and in a sense, it was, because without their heartfelt performances (and my goodness, they do their very best on such limited material), Orca would be an unmitigated disaster.

“Looks fantastic”

Harris in particular is given some truly awful lines while playing Nolan, an Irish fisherman based in Canada. He’s desperate to earn enough money to return home, which is why he hits on the idea of capturing a killer whale he can sell to an aquarium. It turns out to be a big, big mistake.

I have to applaud Harris’ attempts to make everyone believe that Nolan empathises and forms an odd bond with the whale on his trail by recalling the deaths of his own wife and child. It should be a moving moment, but it’s anything but thanks to the truly terrible screenplay by Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donate, neither of whom were native English speakers; perhaps something was lost in translation.

Still, the scenery (much of it was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador) looks fantastic and if you put your brain in neutral, you may enjoy the ride. I must admit (rather grudgingly) that in spite its many faults, I did find the whole thing oddly entertaining.