“There are no sharks in Venice,” we are told several times in the movie entitled Sharks in Venice. There are a few other things that aren’t found in Venice, most notably the cast of Sharks in Venice (that is, unless their scenes were shot on a soundstage in Venice, California). Said cast is headlined by Stephen Baldwin, best known nowadays as the Jesus freak of the Baldwin clan, but here playing David Franks, a low-rent Indiana Jones-style college professor/ archaeologist/ swashbuckler who jets to Venice, Italy with his fiancée when he learns his father has gone missing on a diving expedition.
It turns out Franks Sr. disappeared while searching for the lost Medici treasure, which is apparently hidden in a secret chamber accessible only by a series of underwater tunnels in the Venice canals. Two other divers have turned up with wounds said to have been caused by a boat’s propeller, but like Matt Hooper before him, David knows this was not a boating accident. While searching for his father’s remains, David stumbles upon the treasure, which is guarded by a series of easily evaded booby traps. Unfortunately, it’s also guarded by sharks, which attack David and bite his leg off.
At least, that’s what seems to happen, but we’re forced to re-evaluate the attack as a dream sequence once David wakes up in the hospital with a full complement of legs. There is also the possibility that he’s part starfish and grew a replacement leg. This seems unlikely, although looking back on it, the film never explicitly states that he’s not part starfish. Indeed, this might also help to explain how he is able to speak underwater, although not how he can do so with a scuba breathing apparatus in his mouth.
But I digress. The Italian Mafia, headed by the hirsute Vito Clemenza (screenwriter Les Weldon obviously using Godfather Mad Libs to name the character), is after the Medici treasure and plan to use David to help them find it. They kidnap his fiancée and threaten to kill her unless he leads them back to the secret underwater chamber. But the sharks are still down there – in fact, it was Vito who released them “as minnows” into the Venice canal system years earlier as a way of scaring off potential treasure hunters. Didn’t really think that one through, didja Vito?
I hate to make cruel sport of Stephen Baldwin, since he’s clearly fallen on hard times. Why else would he take this role, which neither exalts the word of the Lord nor nets him a free trip to Venice? Anyone fooled by the horrendous green screen work in the gondola scenes will love the shark effects, which mostly consist of “digitally enhanced” stock footage poorly disguised by flash editing. So again, while I hate to cast aspersions on Mr. Baldwin, it needs to be said that his performance here suggests a troubling addiction to elephant tranquilizers. I have no proof of this, but it would explain not only his somnambulant performance but his decision to wear an embarrassing moob-hugging sweater through most of the picture. Please, if you care about this man, get him some help.
- Scott Von Doviak
Thank you for this, take a look it and feel exciting!!!! The location is perfect. By the way, I heard that the great time to visit Venice is during the month of February when the Venice Carnival is in full swing. At this time of year, hundreds of masked revellers take to the streets in period dress, and as a result can cause many hotels to be booked out months in advance. Therefore, if you wish to go then book early, and remember to bring a camera!, then possible to see the Shark?