Bullet Points: Shark Killer

I have no scientific data to back up the statement I’m about to make, but I feel like there are actually more shark related movies and television shows out there than there are actual living and breathing sharks in the ocean.

One thing I do know for sure is that people are absolutely fascinated by sharks. And that fascination is why Shark Week has been a thing for over two decades now and why movies like Shark Killer, the subject of this edition of Bullet Points, keep getting produced.

• The Premise: Chase Walker (Derek Theler) is a professional shark killer. Chase receives a message from Jake, his no good, weasel of a brother. The message is delivered by Jake’s legal council, Jasmine (Erica Cerra). The message is a request that Chase come to South Africa where Jake has been engaging in some business activities that seem borderline shady.  Jake has a big problem, a diamond he was transporting for a client has found its way inside the stomach of a rare black finned shark. If that was not enough danger, Chase also finds himself caught in the middle of a battle his brother is having with the sadistic Nix (Arnold Vosloo) who believes this missing diamond is rightfully his and he’s willing to do anything to get it back, including strong arming Chase into retrieving the diamond for him.

• The Hero: My first impression of Chase Walker was he was being played by a poor man’s Chris Pratt. I had to give him props right at the start though when he uses his shark killing skills to get laid. I wouldn’t recommend this course of action for any of you gentlemen who are reading this as it is a dangerous method to pick up women (but obviously quite effective). Chase could be described as a smart ass hero and that’s a tough character to pull off, because there’s a point where a smart ass hero can cross a line and it is easy for the audience to turn on the character and instead of cheering him on they want to see somebody wipe that smirk off his face or even worse, get devoured by a rare black finned shark.  To Derek Theler’s credit he walked that line perfectly and slowly but surely I started to invest in his character. Maybe it was the smooth way he managed to wrangle Jasmine to accompany him on this dangerous mission or maybe it was when he beat up a bunch of Nix’s goons with a new pair of shoes that officially won me over.

• The Lady: Chase also manages to win over Jasmine, in romantic fashion. Jasmine is not thrilled with the prospect of working with Jake… but she knows the area and has diving experience, so she reluctantly succumbs to the wishes of Jake and Chase. Like Chase’s character Jasmine walked a line too, but in her case it was the line between tough chick and damsel in distress. Erica Cerra, who played Jasmine, really gave me a Trish Stratus vibe at times. Maybe it is because both beauties are from Canada or maybe I secretly wish all women who are not related to me were Trish Stratus. Cerra is building a nice little action resume for herself, having worked with Steve Austin in The Stranger, Wesley Snipes in Blade: Trinity and Casper Van Dien in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy TV series.

• The Villain: As I mentioned earlier, Chase Walker’s brother Jake is a pretty underhanded dude, but there is no doubt the true evil in Shark Killer is Nix. Nix has a reputation of being a man who can not be killed and he lives up to that reputation in pretty spectacular fashion. Vosloo’s maniacal performance of Nix is a real scene stealer and I believe the inclusion of Arnold Vosloo takes Shark Killer up a notch or two.

I am by no means one of the many shark fanatics out there who loves anything and everything related to sharks, but I did enjoy Shark Killer. Shark Killer featured quality performances all around and the visual effects looked good in what was overall an enjoyable movie watching experience.

Now before I go how about some more Chase Walker/Derek Theler related bonus Bullet Points…

• Life’s A Beach: Despite being a skilled shark killer, Chase Walker is no fan of the ocean. He hates looking at it, he hates smelling it and he hates hearing it. This is explained by a personal tragedy that occurred early on in his life, but still shark killing was a rather bizarre career path for Chase.
• More Than Meets The Eye: Chase Walker shocks Jasmine when he rigs up a special electronic shark attracting beacon and reveals he isn’t the only one in the boat with an Ivy League education.
• That Explains It: One thing you’ll notice about Chase and Jake is that they look NOTHING alike. Action movies are notorious for having brothers that don’t look related in the least (don’t believe me go watch Kickboxer), but Shark Killer gives the simple explanation that Chase was actually adopted and is not blood related to Jake.
• I Know Him: After having no clue who Derek Theler was before watching Shark Killer (sorry Freeform is not one of my go to channels and I didn’t even know there was a show called Baby’s Daddy),  I spotted him a few days later on an episode of Rock the Promo that I was watching on YouTube.