Orca, The Killer Whale (1977)

Orca, The Killer Whale (1977), is one of those exploitation films that, inexplicably, I never got around to watching until recently.  I actually remember it being released to cinemas, (I was too young to see it back then), it actually had a pretty intensive publicity campaign, with ads for it all over TV at the time.  I also recall that it was widely dismissed as being a crude Jaws rip off, (although that didn't put audiences off as it did pretty well at the box office on its initial release).  That reputation has persisted, with the film still enjoying little critical support.  While it is true that Orca is very much Dino De Laurentis' response to the success of Jaws and follows that film's lead in focusing its story on a Moby Dick - like obsessive battle between man and beast, it actually establishes its own unique plot developments and concerns that mark it out as being more than a mere clone of the Spielberg movie.  The most striking difference is that while the shark of Jaws is presented pretty much as a relentless killing machine, acting purely on instinct, the antagonist of Orca is portrayed, (in keeping with the real animal), as an intelligent adversary, capable of rational thought and motivated by a personal vendetta against a specific individual.  The killer whale's victims aren't random characters who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but are all connected with the main character and/or associated with the trauma that triggers its campaign of terror.

The film's main character is Nolan, played by Richard Harris, a captain operating out of a small Canadian fishing community who, along with his crew, attempt to capture various marine animals for aquariums and zoos.  As the film opens, he and his associates are attempting to capture a great white shark, but their attempts are complicated by a party of marine biologists diving in the area, one of whom is targeted by the shark.  The diver is saved by the intervention a killer whale, which kills the shark.  After witnessing this incident and speaking to the lead biologist, Rachel Kent (Charlotte Rampling), an expert on the orca, Nolan decides that his next target for capture should be a killer whale.  Unfortunately, his attempts to capture one go awry when, instead of a male, he injures and snares a pregnant female - which, as it is hanging on the boat's stern, suffers a miscarriage - all witnessed by its mate.  These scenes - partially seen from the male whale's point of view - are incredibly traumatic and have the immediate effect of switching audience loyalties to the orca, whose response is immediate, dragging Nolan's first mate off of the boat to his death, as he leans over the rail.  But the film isn't content to let is story play out as a simple black and white struggle between 'good' whale with a justifiable grudge and 'bad' human.  Nolan himself is left traumatised by the whole incident, with it bringing back memories of the death of his own child in a road accident, leading to him empathising with the whale.

Despite this empathy, Nolan is obviously keen to avoid a confrontation with the killer whale.  But  his opponent gives him no choice, chasing off fish leaving the local fishermen with no catches, leading to Nolan being ostracised by the community, but still he won't go back to sea.  So the whale first destroys the harbour's fuel pipelines, then succeeds in maiming one of Nolan's crew, (played by Bo Derek in an early role).  Nolan eventually bows to the inevitable - that he must put to sea once more and face the whale in a life or death battle.  The fact that both protagonists - the whale and Nolan - are portrayed with a surprising degree of sympathy, both shown to be deeply affected by past traumas, lifts Orca above the average, run-of-the-mill eco-horror/sea monster movie. Nolan isn't marked out as villainous because he captures marine specimens for profit - he is simply trying to protect and provide for his crew/family.  As played by Harris, he comes over as a three dimensional character, flawed but basically a decent man who doesn't seek to inflict unnecessary cruelty upon the animals he hunts.  Indeed, unlike the human characters in Jaws, he isn't hell-bent on killing his adversary, who he recognises as having a justified grievance.  Likewise, the orca isn't an unthinking killer - it is motivated by its failure to protect its family (just as Nolan couldn't protect his deceased child) and is methodical in its campaign against Nolan - by the end of the film it has established itself as a distinct individual rather than just a plot device.

The film benefits greatly from some decent performances, not just from Harris and Rampling, but also the supporting cast, which includes the likes of Keenan Wynn, Robert Carradine and the aforementioned Bo Derek.  While director Micheal Anderson - a workman-like  director always prone to pedestrian pacing - never manages to inject much impetus or visual style to the film, he does at least keep the story moving and allows his cast to do their thing.  Moreover, he handles the set-pieces well, not just the climactic battle on the ice floes but also the attempted capture of the orca early on and the whale's attack on Nolan's house, which extends out over the water, on stilts, which results in Derek's maiming.  All are well staged and memorable.  The effects work is also pretty decent, with the orca represented by a combination of real, trained, killer whales and full size replicas, (which are more convincing than the mechanical shark that rears out of the water in Jaws).  While I'm not claiming that Orca is an overlooked classic, with its environmental concerns, sympathetic portrayal of the wildlife and strong characterisations, it does stand out as an above average exploitation film that never lets its ecological message and character dramas get in the way of delivering the goods in schlock movie terms, providing suspense gore and some decent action in a very professionally produced package.