‘Dangerous Animals’ Review: Jai Courtney Understands The Assignment In A Serial Killer Kidnapping Escapade

Is it safe to label Quint, the rogue-ish shark expert played so memorably by Robert Shaw in the now-40-year-old shark extravaganza “Jaws,” one of filmdom’s most legendary characters? It’s only fitting that, four decades removed from Steven Spielberg‘s first true blockbuster, would another contender emerge in the niche genre that is the shark film, with none other than Jai Courtney taking on a role that, somehow, seems to gesture wildly towards his pseudo-ancestor Quint in more ways than one, whether intentional or otherwise. The film surrounding Courtney? It’s called “Dangerous Animals,” and it’s no “Jaws.”

It’s not all that original, owing more to any kidnapping storyline with sharks along for the ride. After a prologue quickly establishes Courtney Tucker, shark guide for tourists, as the film’s big bad, we meet Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), desperate to escape a lifetime of foster homes by chasing the big waves down under. Her quest for the best of what surfing has to offer soon sees her cross paths with the boyish charm of Moses (Josh Heuston), with whom the two immediately connect and spend the night. Still, it isn’t long after their all-too-brief tryst that her path now meets with Tucker, as he renders the woman unconscious and places her into captivity alongside another victim, Heather (Ella Newton), last seen in that opening.

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Tucker loves to hear himself talk, something Zephyr herself later points out, as our villain seems unable to stop breaking into monologues about whatever happens to be on his mind, be it shark or Zephyr-related, but always in an attempt to menace. His ultimate goal, by the way, is to treat the sharks occupying the nearby waters to a feast of humans, as he watches the event, films the fracas, and offers a bit of inescapable narration. Will Zephyr extend? Will Moses do what he finds her, only to wind up in Tucker’s clutches himself? If this has, thus far, played out in a manner seen innumerable times before, that’s because it has, but at least, every so often, there’s a shark!

Sadly, even the more shocking elements sit few and far between, though a third-act line in which Tucker comments on the romance between Zephyr and Moses while remarking he’s more of a horror fan plays nicely. It’s a testament to Jai Courtney; once dismissed as lacking what some might call talent in the wake of 2013’s dreadful fifth and final Die Hard, Courtney seems to have achieved a level of redemption through his well-cast role in two Suicide Squad installments, and with “Dangerous Animals,” the fun meter hits its peak as Courtney lets the reins loose with a delightfully unhinged performance. Sure, it’s an unoriginal baddie, but Courtney clearly loves what he’s been given, allowing his cockney accent to assist in the heavy lifting and knowing when to turn up the menace through a pose, stare, or suddenly pivot into a dance.

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Hassie Harrison’s Zephyr leans hard into the desperation any good final girl needs, even if her later interactions with Moses lean just as hard into the cheese. The backstory has no place here, and we want to see Courtney doing something honestly watchable. Changing the location from the dingy, “10 Cloverfield Lane” or “Split“-esque cell to Zephyr’s observation post as she watches a helpless victim fall prey to a shark, before shifting to the table where Tucker watches playback of the horrific act as he loudly consumes a meal makes good, necessary use of a fairly contained environment, as does the score courtesy of Michael Yezerski. It’s loud, percussive, and wouldn’t feel out of place were Hans Zimmer to have lent a hand.

And yet, is it good? Let’s say “Dangerous Animals” gets the job done, but were it not for Jai Courtney, this would fall somewhere in the realm of any film about a kidnapee. It’s nol difficult to take in, and the end credits arrive quicker than expected, but once it’s over, all that’s left is a wish to turn on “Jaws.” That film had Quint. [B]

“Dangerous Animals” opens in theaters today, June 6, via IFC Films.