The Last Shark – Treasured Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/USA, 1981
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writers: Vincenzo Mannino, Marc Princi, Ugo Tucci
Cast: James Franciscus, Vic Morrow, Micaela Pignatelli, Joshua Sinclair, Giancarlo Prete, Stefania Girolami Goodwin, Gian Marco Lari, Massimo Vanni, Ennio Girolami, Romano Puppo

Release Date: September 15th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £18.99 (UK)

"Author Peter Benton (James Franciscus) finds his idyllic summer thrown into a tailspin when he learns of an angry 35-foot-long great white shark that is out for blood and targeting local swimmers at the nearby beach resort. The mayor doesn't seem to give a damn, so it's up to him and veteran shark hunter Ron Hamer (Vic Morrow) to put an end to the great white's bloody rampage." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Presented in widescreen from a high-definition master."

The Last Shark comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 22.4 GB

The source is in excellent condition; it is free of debris, colors and flesh tones appear accurate, image clarity and compression are strong, black levels are deep, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles and a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH and removable English subtitles. Although both audio tracks sound clear and balanced, the Italian language track sounds more robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an extensive image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (stills/posters/advertisements/home video art), a TV spot (31 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute, 26 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Eugenio Ercolani titled A Brief Introduction to the Italian Killer Animal Current (20 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Mike Foster titled Unfamiliar Waters: Castellari Out of Action (18 minutes 11 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Ugo Tucci titled Blood Tide (13 minutes, DTS-HD stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Maurizio Amati titled Big Fishes in a Sea Full of Sharks (19 minutes 42 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Massimo Vanni titledHigh Tide (22 minutes 11 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Enzo G. Castellari titled Great White Enzo (16 minutes 43 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth, reversible cover art, a double-walled slipcase, and a 32-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Last Decade, Last Shark written by Giacomo Calzoni, an essay titled Pastiche Italiano: The Copy-Cat Cinema of Enzo G. Castellari written by Sam Dunkley, and an essay titled If It’s Wednesday, This Must be Rome: The Italian Adventures of James Franciscus written by Nathaniel Thompson. 

Summary:

The Last Shark was directed by Enzo G. Castellari, an Italian filmmaker who worked in just about every genre that was popular in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Notable films that he directed are Cold Eyes of Fear, High Crime, Street Law, and The Big Racket.

An arrogant politician, more concerned with canceling a windsurfing regatta, ignores the growing danger of a great white shark that's attacking the locals.

Italian cinema consistently seized the opportunity to capitalize on popular cinematic trends; for instance, Enzo G. Castellari's The Last Shark is clearly a knockoff of Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Not only are there many instances where its plot mirrors Jaws, but also Vic Morrow’s character Ron Hamer is a clone of Robert Shaw’s Quint. The Last Shark stands out from other Italian shark films in one significant way: it filmed its shark footage, unlike many other movies in this Italian film cycle that borrowed footage from different films.

While it's clear where the story is going, The Last Shark lacks any real surprises. The narrative never strays away from its bread and butter: moments built around the shark attacking. These sequences are very effective, and they do a superb job building tension. That said, moments of exposition are easily The Last Shark's weakest asset.

Most of the performances are unremarkable; anyone could have portrayed them. The only performance of note is Vic Morrow (God’s Little Acre) in the role of a professional shark hunter named Ron Hamer. The most disappointing performance is James Franciscus’s (Cat O’ Nine Tails) portrayal of Peter Benton, a horror author who raises the alarm about the shark.

The Last Shark is a textbook example of low-budget Italian genre cinema trying to achieve more than its resources and yet it does succeed on some levels because of Enzo G. Castellari’s solid direction. The action sequences featuring the shark stand out as the film's highlights, particularly the impressive scene where the shark attacks a helicopter. Although the score has an excellent music cue for the shark, the rest of the score is dated 1980s-sounding music. Ultimately, The Last Shark only has one goal, to entertain, and it does in spades.

Considering The Last Shark’s rights issues, it is difficult to imagine this film ever getting a better release. That said, The Last Shark gets a solid release from Treasured Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer