Written by Sam Clark 

Certificate: 15  

Running time: 98 minutes 

Director: Sean Byrne 

''Jaws'', but with a serial killer instead. That is the pitch for this unashamedly gruesome and unflinching horror that has no right to be as entertaining as it is, and is one of the biggest surprises of the year. As I left the screening, only one thing was on my mind: ''man, I have to watch more Australian horror films if they are this good''. The ''oohs'' and ''ahhs'' that erupted from the audience at various points was enough to confirm to me that they had certainly received the price of their admission. In truth, I was on board (pun intended) within the opening sequence which was the perfect indicator of what was to come, and I could not wait for what else was in store. 

I would say I am familiar with director Sean Bryne's previous work, and by that I mean I only recognise the posters - rest assured, that is about to change. This does however mark screenwriter Nick Lepard's feature debut, and I hope this will put the two properly into the spotlight. Jai Courtney (perhaps most known for playing ''Boomerang'' in David Ayer's ''The Suicide Squad'') plays ''Bruce Tucker'', a shark obsessed serial killer who abducts an American surfer called ''Zephyr'' (Hassie Harrison), who is currently living on Australia's Gold Coast - one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, it can safely said. ''Tucker'' takes tourists out to sea to give them a shark diving experience they will never forget...or ever come back from. 

Image credit: IMDb/ Vertigo Releasing 

''Zephyr'' is held captive on his boat, and she must use her wit and survival instincts to escape his grasp and his ritualistic methods of feeding unsuspecting people to the sharks. It is here that ''Moses'' (Josh Heuston), ''Zephyr's'' newfound fling, must come to her rescue before it's too late. Most Aussie horror flicks are largely about locals kidnapping / murdering travelling backpackers or strangers to the area. The highest water marks for any film involving hostile and aggressive locals is John Boorman's ''Deliverance'' from 1972, as well as the sort of follow up ''Southern Comfort'', released in 1981 and directed by Walter Hill. We have also just had ''The Surfer'' starring Nicolas Cage which also played into this and was set in Australia. 

However, the closest film that comes to mind here that could be compared to ''Dangerous Animals'' is Greg Mclean's ''Wolf Creek'' - which is by far and away much grislier and shares an almost identical plot. Despite the fact that  ''Dangerous Animals'' may slip under a few radars (that does depend on how it is marketed however) and I imagine a considerate but very grounded budget, this still felt pretty grand in it's scale and nice and vibrant in it's visuals. This is one of the best looking films I have seen so far this year, and I was rather surprised at how good some of it looked, considering how small a film this is. This is, on the one hand, a grueling, animalistic bloodbath, but on the other, serves as a tourism guide.

If some of the horror and violence proves too much for you, you are at least given a pretty breathtaking look at the landscapes Australia has to offer (but hopefully this is not the case). I am not too worried about that necessarily as the whole film is pretty well made for what it is and does know how to deliver a b-movie slice of fun. 

Image credit: IMDb/ Vertigo Releasing

Jai Courtney is fantastic here and undeniably the best he has ever been (although he is not known for very much and does have some misfires). Not only does he have the physical presence and intimidation absolutely on point with his bear like body, he is certainly one of the most deranged, psychopathic individuals we've seen on our screens recently and the reason the film works as well as it does. This is one of those projects in which an actor finally shows audiences what they can do, and I hope he will gain more recognition as well as the writer/director. Without a villain as sinister as him, the film would be instantly less effective and maybe not even work - one of the biggest examples I can think of recently of a film being this reliant on it's antagonist. I would say he is not too far off from James McAvoy in ''Speak No Evil'' - both standing out in their own rights and both proving to be the driving force behind everything. 

For a film about flesh-ripping sharks, ''Dangerous Animals'' unsurprisingly delivers in the moments that matter the most. Even with its 15 certificate, I did feel the pain considerably more than I thought I would and is does give you plenty of bang for your buck, I even dared to look briefly away at points as I was too uncertain of what was going to follow. I thought the trailer looked good and I was pretty impressed by it, and I was glad to see this hunch seemed to be supported by a good critical reception (this had raised my already high anticipation levels), so the ball was entirely in the film's court. There is plenty here to sink your teeth into. 

In cinemas Friday 3rd of June