Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Tintorera Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 9, 2021

We all know that 1975’s “Jaws” was a massive hit, changing the film industry in the process. It’s also a masterful suspense effort, with extreme technical skill and intense performances giving it true cinematic power. However, in the wake of such a creative achievement and box office triumph came the rip-offs, with producers from all over the world jumping at the chance to participate in the white-hot trend of animal attack pictures. 1977’s “Tintorera: Killer Shark” is a Mexican production endeavoring to be the next “Jaws,” with writer/director Rene Cardona Jr. heading into the waters of Cancun to explore the dangers of the depths, with a particularly heavy breathing tiger shark on the loose, terrorizing tourists. “Tintorera: Tight Shark” has the general shape of B-movie cash-in, pitting humans against marine life, but Cardona Jr. largely skips any sort of terror, preferring to use time set aside for a shark attack feature to deal with the emotional aches and pains of a swinging bachelor and his quest to find warm, willing bodies in Mexico.

Arriving in Cancun for a much-needed vacation, Steven (Hugo Stiglitz) boards a yacht for a stretch of time, hoping to relax in the middle of paradise. He’s joined by caretaker Colorado (Roberto Guzman), who warns the visitor about the dangers of tiger sharks in the area. Taking in the local sights, Steven finds his way to Patricia (Fiona Lewis), a fellow vacationer who welcomes his attention, with the pair commencing a brief but powerful affair. Dealing with the fallout from the pairing, Steven teams with Miguel (Andres Garcia), a rival-turned-partner who treasures nothing more highly than a chance to spend his days sleeping with as many women as possible. The pair soon meet Gabriella (Susan George), commencing a three-way affair, with Steven trying to remain cool about the set-up, finding himself falling for his shared lover, complicating a seemingly idyllic situation.

Sharks are present in the tale, but “Tintorera: Tiger Shark” isn’t really a horror movie in any defined way. The creatures are more decorative, with Cardona Jr. taking occasional dives into shallow waters to follow the characters as they tour the magic of the ocean. The peacefulness of such imagery is there, representing some of the best scenes in the feature, but there’s a dark side to the endeavor. Those sensitive to authentic animal death would be wise to steer clear of “Tintorera: Tiger Shark,” as it does contain an enormous amount of footage highlighting the real hunting of sharks and smaller fish, with Cardona Jr. lovingly detailing slow bleed-outs from confused prey in a way that suggests the journeyman filmmaker was in desperate need of counseling. Even more disturbing (and, admittedly, hilarious) is the use of a dead shark to perform the actions of the killer beast, with a visible steel cable towing a lifeless corpse around the frame, occasionally bumping into actors tasked with pretending they’ve been taken down by the ultimate predator. It’s immensely silly to watch these sequences, but the effort is not much of a shark attack experience to begin with, making such grim footage a rare occurrence.

Instead of presenting a growing aquatic threat, “Tintorera: Shark Attack” is actually a relationship movie periodically interrupted by the titular menace. Because that’s what people want to see? Only Cardona Jr. knows for sure. He commits to the saga of Steven, a man looking to take a break, quickly caught up with Patricia as the pair enjoy a beach romance. The writing isn’t messing around, burning through introductions, sexual connection, and a break-up in the opening reel(!), with Patricia ditching her indecisive fling, moving over to Miguel, a practiced ladies’ man. Patricia is soon eliminated from the story (unceremoniously so), allowing her once warring lovers to form a seduction team, picking up willing younger women for partner swapping before landing a shot with Gabriella. She’s a “Three Musketeers” kind of lady, happy to commence three-way relationship that doesn’t involve love, only sex and merriment, with Cardona Jr. highlighting their tourist adventures around Mexico, along with bedroom experiences. Again, keep in mind “Tintorera: Tiger Shark” is being sold as a shark attack event. However, the actual movie is more interested in Steven, who begins to soften around Gabriella, complicating their strange arrangement.

“Tintorera: Shark Attack” does deserve some credit as an equal opportunity exploiter, with male nudity almost as common as female, though Cardona Jr. doesn’t exactly have a high opinion of women in the story, with most presented as pit stops on Steven and Miguel’s Mexican mission to ogle the opposite sex as much as possible. Masculinity is declared as they present themselves as shark hunters to impress others, which inspires most of the underwater sequences in the second half. As for the top predator promised on the poster art, he’s absurdly imagined as a slow-moving monster with mild asthma, with the helmer electing to indicate the shark’s approach with John Williams-esque synth (but of course) and the sound of heavy breathing. This fish has a real tell.

Tintorera Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a softer, MGM catalog look at the filmmaking achievements of "Tintorera: Killer Shark," with most of the highlights happening on the beach and around tourist areas. Big sun brings out the best in body surfaces and swimwear, securing mild textures with a fully illuminated frame. Shaggy hair is adequate, and distances are passably dimensional. Colors favor a warmer palette and remain aged, with duller blues and reds. Skintones preserve tans and more natural appearances. Delineation is acceptable, often dealing with limited lighting and murky water. Grain is on the blocky side. Source has some rough areas, with scratches and speckling present. Banding is periodically detected as well.

Tintorera Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix doesn't offer much nuance, but the basics are handled with clarity. Dubbed dialogue exchanges are clean, with English and Spanish conversations easy to follow. Scoring cues are comfortable, delivering synth stings with shark sequences and more tropical party tunes on the sand. Soundtrack selections offer a disco sound with slightly heavier beats and crisp vocals. Mild hiss carries throughout the listening experience.

Tintorera Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Troy Howarth and Rod Barnett.

• T.V. Spot (1:02, SD) offers one commercial for "Tintorera: Tiger Shark."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:31, HD) is included.

Tintorera Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Tintorera: Killer Shark" tries to get a revenge story going in the final 15 minutes of the movie, sending Steven into evening waters to take on his destructive enemy. Cinematography is more chaotic than careful, keeping suspense out of the showdown, and it's a little strange to see a film that was previously committed to photographing characters in tiny swimwear suddenly interested in finding a man vs. shark scenario, and one that leads to a wholly unsatisfying ending. Bad movie maniacs are the key demographic for "Tintorera: Tiger Shark," offered routine ridiculousness from Cardona Jr., who doesn't have access to dynamic oceanic exploration footage, preferring to make a movie about the sex lives of easily distracted characters instead.