- Director: Tommy Wirkola
- Screenplay: Tommy Wirkola
- Producer: Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Tommy Wirkola
- Cast: Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, Djimon Hounsou
- Cinematography: Matt Weston
- Editing: Martin Stoltz
- Score: Dom Lewis, Daniel Futcher
- Genre: Survival thriller
- Runtime: 86 minutes
For the residents of Annieville, South Carolina, you’d think a Category 5 hurricane would be a dire enough occurence. That’s the least of their worries. Throw in a shiver of bull sharks. Nowhere is safe. Entering the water is risking certain death while staying indoors won’t alleviate the situation, with the waterline constantly rising.
Tommy Wirkola’s direction totally captures the sense of panic in the hours before landfall. When the storm hits, the streets transform into rivers. A meat tanker gets pierced by a statue; animal blood gushing into the newly-formed canal. Here come the hungry sharks…
Those stuck in the area include: a trio of kids (with odious foster parents), an agoraphobic girl coping with the recent loss of her mother, and a heavily pregnant woman. Yes, this is the worst environment to find yourself if you’re ready to pop. Never mind your waters breaking, the poor gal is up to her neck in floodwater as the car she’s driving essentially turns into a boat. There’s the idea of having a water birth, then there’s this. It’s too late to get the heck out of dodge so our survivors better have their wits about them and seek the highest ground they can or become shark food.
The film is one of Netflix’s finer offerings. The runtime is short and sweet meaning you can gobble it up in a single mouthful. One bite-size morsel of adrenaline. It doesn’t skimp on the gore either, with limbs being bitten off by the bloodthirsty brutes whenever they get the chance.
My rating: 7 / 10
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