Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Martin Brody is the new police chief of Amity, an island resort town somewhere in New England. He has a wife named Ellen, and two sons named Michael and Sean. On a Summer morning, Brody is called to t...( read more  read more... )he beach, where the mangled body of Summer vacationer Chrissie Watkins has washed ashore. The medical examiner tells Brody that it could have been a shark that killed Watkins. Mayor Larry Vaughn, who is desperate to not lose the money that will be brought in by 4th of July tourists, wants Brody to say Watkins's death was caused by a motorboat propeller instead of a shark, because the thought of a shark in Amity's waters would drive tourists away from Amity. It looks like Vaughn is a mayor who puts money ahead of people's lives. Shark expert Matt Hooper believes Watkins was killed by a shark. Hooper is proven right a few days later, when Alex Kintner is killed by the shark that killed Watkins. Looking for the quickest solution, Vaughn tells all of the local fishermen to let him know if they see the shark. A shark hunter named Quint offers to find the shark and kill it, but Vaughn thinks Quint's price of $10,000 is too high. When a tiger shark is killed and hauled in by a couple of boaters, Vaughn hastily says that the shark crisis is over, but Hooper says the shark that's been killing people a huge great white shark is still in Amity's waters, but Vaughn leaves the beaches opened because all he cares about is the 4th of July tourist money. On the 4th of July, Vaughn encourages people to swim at the beach, and Hooper is proven right again when the shark kills a man, biting the man's leg off. Michael, who was in the water at the time of the attack, is taken to the hospital, where he's treated for shock after watching the shark kill the guy. Brody asks Vaughn to hire Quint to find the shark. Because his own kids were at that beach too, Vaughn agrees to hire Quint to find the shark. Quint, Hooper, and Brody are sent out to sea in Quint's boat, the Orca, ready to do whatever it takes to find the shark.

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81% liked it

853,560 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

36 critics

PG, 2 hrs. 4 min.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: June 1, 1975

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DVD Release Date: July 11, 2000

Stats: 48,245 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (48,245)


  • October 9, 2006
    When you say "Blockbuster" in the film sense, you think "Jaws" 'cause without this movie, summer blockbusters wouldn't exist.
  • October 24, 2009
    Spielberg makes good films. there is no doubt about that. "Jaws" is no different. it's a thrill to see, it's suspensful, it's entertainment value. however like most of his films there's a lack of realism in the characters. they do things that people just wouldn't do. it's hard to...( read more) explain further than that as i can't remember the examples i saw last night as i watched it. anyone feel the same?
  • September 7, 2009
    For me, this is the still the scariest horror film ever. The mother of all 'Blockbusters' hasn't dated at all, even though the shark doesn't look real, its still terrifying!
  • July 22, 2009
    "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

    When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

    REVIEW</
    ...( read more)b>
    One of the most successful and terrifying American classics that single-handedly coined the phrase "blockbuster" and did for swimming what "Psycho" did for taking a shower. Picturesque summer resort community Amity Beach is suddenly turned into a great white shark's feeding buffet with only source of reason Sheriff Martin Brody (Scheider) wanting to close down the beach prior to the profitable Fourth of July with the aid of shark scientist Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) and salty shark hunter Quint (Shaw) on one of cinema's most memorable journeys into fear. Masterfully directed by a young punk named Steven Spielberg in his big-screen sophomoric turn helming the first of many successes in Hollywood. Based on Peter Benchley's best-seller, the storyline hooks you from its horrifying opening moments to its breath-taking finale of pure adrenalined, visceral terror. Oscar-winning and memorable soundtrack ("dumdumdumdum") by John Williams and production design Academy Award recipient for its genuinely scary and realistic shark nicknamed "Bruce" by the film's crew after Spielberg's lawyer. Classic line: "You're gonna need a bigger boat" by Scheider with a Pall-Mall doing a mad, dry-lipped jig on his close encounter for the very first time with the shark.
  • July 15, 2009
    The movie that changed the industry.
  • November 20, 2009
    Don't go into the water!
  • November 20, 2009
    "You gonna need a bigger boat."
    - Martin Brody

    There is a creature alive today that has survived millions of years of evolution. Without change, passion, and logic, the mindless eating machine of Jaws lives to kill. In the New England island resort of Amity...( read more), two people were killed by the hideous shark that vanquished its tranquility and shattered its peace. While the town is determined to keep the beach open for the summer, it is up to Martin Brody - the new police chief of Amity - along with a marine biologist and a fisherman are ready to do whatever it takes to hunt down the deadly shark and bring the bloodshed to an end.

    Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws features excellent acting performances from the following cast:
    1.) Roy Scheider (Martin Brody)
    2.) Richard Dreyfuss (Matt Hooper)
    3.) Robert Shaw (Quint)
    4.) Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody)

    Mr. Spielberg brought us a mind-blowing classic that came out of the sea and scared audiences with its blood-gushing shark attacks - and Jaws is definitely the film. Jawas of the Tatooine desert, did you say? Well, no, don't get confused by that - I'm referring to this sharp-toothed, great white beast that lives with an intention to kill its prey offshore. By seeing the shark in scenes throughout I couldn't tell if it was a prop or not, but the old-school special effects (SFX) made it looked like it was the real thing. The scenes of people attacked by it were at all shocking, and good thing I didn't freak out (or even faint) by them. Plus, the ominous cello music that's used here is the most dramatic pieces I've ever heard in a horror film. It's an interesting fact that Jaws ushered in the box-office blockbuster era that continues well today and was the highest-grossing film of the time - at least until 1977's Star Wars. When you watch this its great horrific intensity that will make you fear the water once more.
  • November 17, 2009
    still scares me today
  • November 17, 2009
    Mais um para categoria "Clássicos da sessão da tarde!"
  • November 16, 2009
    Easily one of the best horror movies in existence, yes, horror movie. Everyone tries to lump this into the thriller category, but only because it's so good. I don't know about everyone else, but this movie was made to scare the hell out of people. It has all the classic scenarios...( read more) and cliches of the genre beforehand, but much like Chinatown it uses them to its advantage. The acting is great, you couldn't ask for a better casting at the time. I think my favorite aspect of the filming is that the movie gets brighter the more you go on, unlike the Hitchcock classics beforehand. It really messes with your head when it looks happier, but more creepy things are happening. One of my favorite scenes is when Brody's son is swimming and Jaws swims right past him. It's in broad daylight, but it's one of the most horrific scenes in my opinion.

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the most effective thrillers ever made. full review

View more Jaws reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • DANgerous990
    August 28, 2008
    would love mostlly to see a remake growing up in the 80s and ninetys i relyed mostlly on c,g,i knowing mr spielbergs sucsess with jurasic park c,g,i this should be a breeze for him
  • OldBullLee
    July 29, 2008
    This is how we made movies in the '70s before STAR WARS. There were characters, dialogue, situation, subtext, score, and FX by stuntmen and people who made physical 3D models. Ironic that Spielberg made the greatest popcorn thriller ever, then helped invent CGI. Guess he really did hate that fake shark.
  • sportboy
    November 8, 2007
    I have not seen it but I would love to see this movie because it looks good and scary.
  • filmaker99
    October 24, 2007
    beware of the book. as it turns out it is really just an exploitive sex novel, featuring the man-eating shark as a subplot. congrads to Steven for cleaning that up!
  • roro126
    August 31, 2007
    love this movie i love all movies about these wight sharks does anybody saw the movie the deep blue sea it's da best
  • tene79
    July 21, 2007
    Grew up watching this film, would hide every time the head fell out of the boat though :D Just want to add that that Jaws remake vid is a fake! Even if it is being remade those images are from another film :)
  • MrGrimlock
    June 1, 2007
    I'm man enough to say I would start screaming like a little girl if I ever saw a great white swimming towards me!
  • KingsofLeonBabe
    May 17, 2007
    This movie is one of the best movies ever made!!!Making millions afraid to enter the water long after it's release it's an ultimate classic that be plot copied and redone,but will never be matched as on the best movies in the history of Hollywood.
  • jackass001
    April 9, 2007
    Smile you-son-of-a-bitch --Roy Scheider(Chief Brody)
  • abbeygreeneyes
    March 1, 2007
    any1 who hunts any shark is a w****r. leave them alone twats!!!

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Jaws Trivia


  • "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." was a tagline for what film?  Answer »
  • In 'Jaws', the line "we're gonna need a bigger boat" was a total improvisation and not in the script. True or False?  Answer »
  • Jaws went an extra dimension in one of its films but which one?  Answer »
  • "were going to need a bigger boat" comes from which jaws movie?  Answer »

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