Surfer Zephyr is stuck on a boat with a serial killer surrounded by shark-infested waters in Sean Bryne’s sharp and thrilling Dangerous Animals.
Director Sean Byrne lets Dangerous Animals out of its cage quickly, with a slam-bang energy in the opening sequence, establishing its tone and look. A pair of tourists in Australia, separated from their group after sleeping in, charter a shark swimming expedition with a charming but slightly off grizzled boat captain (“So no one knows you’re here then?” uh oh). A beautiful and thrilling swim in the cage becomes a nightmare when the captain on top proves to be more of a threat than the toothy maws below. Felt with a wry, knowing smile, Byrne tells the audience, “Oh good, this will be a fun one.” While it doesn’t keep quite the same energy for the whole run time, Dangerous Animals is a sharp, thrilling entry in the “surviving captivity” subgenre.
I can’t believe it’s been ten years since Byrne popped The Devil’s Candy into the viewer’s mouths. One of the yearly favorites across genre fans, the haunting flick came on the heels of the also astonishing The Loved One. The pair set him as a new genre director star. Sad that’s been so long, but I’m glad to have a third amazing genre flick rather than a series of underfed ones.
Zephyr is a freewheeling surfer, living in her van, moving where the waves take her. She connects with a local real estate guy, Moses, also into surfing and chafing against his landlocked lifestyle. It’s not long before the waves take her into the hold of serial killer Bruce’s boat, out in open water surrounded by open water and sharks. With dangerous animals on deck and in the sea, how will Zephyr survive? Writer Nick Lepard sets up a great back-and-forth as she tries to free herself, Moses looks for her, and Bruce (sharing his name with the Shark From Jaws) does his thing in trying not to get caught. The dynamics between the three, plus another young woman in the hold, make a great interplay. Dangerous Animals has a quick sharpness as Lepard and Byrne skillfully move the pieces around, continually keeping inventive and energetic. To reference two other great Australian shockers, Dangerous Animals is a wonderful mix of Dead Calm and Wolf Creek.
What do serial killers and fishermen have in common? Both have the one who got away. Zephyr’s thrilling tries to be the one that got away from the combination serial killer and fisherman are edge-of-your-seat as she tries to solve the situation. As someone who survives on her own, she’s a resourceful firecracker and will not stop and give Bruce the satisfaction of beating her. It’s a joy, but I wish there was a little more cat-and-mouse (shark-and-Alex-Kittner?), making-the-next-steps-to-freedom in Zepher’s quest. When she gets traction, it’s usually reset, deflating some of the building “good for her” and falling into repetition. It’s not much, but it slows the middle of the film a tad. But I understand, there is only so much to do on a boat, and to be fair, each does set up a payoff for later. It’s always a crowd-pleaser to have the victim gain the upper hand with each push back against the captor. Byrne keeps things simple and tight, allowing the situations to unfold with a tense grace, avoiding cheap over-edits or jump scares. There’s a reason his last two films resonated so well; he has great control of his films.
As the captain captor, Jai Courtney gives a spirited performance. With his gnarly shark attack scar (from an attack in his youth, leading to his obsession) and a devilish grin, he’s commanding to watch. Courtney is often an energetic wildcard of a performer, unfortunately saddled with a push to make him into an action star by Hollywood, such as A Good Day to Die Hard or Terminator Genisys. I might not like Suicide Squad, but he tries to elevate with Captain Boomerang. It doesn’t help that he’s easily mistaken for the bland also-push of Sam Worthington. With Dangerous Animals, he’s given more to bite into, wrestling with the sharks and his victims with an all-in intensity. Jai Courtney will get all the press, but his chosen victim, Yellowstone’s Hassie Harrington, is just as capable of carrying the film, bringing a ferocious energy. Watching the two go at one another brings a toothy smile. Josh Hueston is fine as Mo, but he’s stuck between the two larger roles as they battle. 
Dangerous Animals is riveting, using the unique setting to great advantage to build a tense, fast-moving, crowd-pleasing shark-and-prey horror film. It’s a violent thrill to watch, especially due to the two leads as they work through their situations. In Dangerous Animals, Sean Byrne returns from a hiatus with a third amazing feature. Let’s hope the fourth comes sooner than that – we missed you!