Jai Courtney gives a fearsome and unnerving performance in Dangerous Animals. The Australian actor twists familiar Aussie mannerisms and patois into something genuinely creepy in his portrayal of Bruce Tucker. This is the ship captain of “Bruce’s Experience“, one who dazzles tourists with the terror and splendour of the sharks that roam the Australian waters; and also one who thoroughly enjoys feeding the occasional customer to these sharks.

 

Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone) plays Zephyr, an American surfer roaming the Australian coasts chasing waves and putting distance between her present and her past. Harrison is excellent as the strong and resourceful Zephyr, she brings the audience into Zephyr’s experience and contrasts perfectly with Courtney’s Bruce. 

 

Director Sean Byrne’s eye for catching and emphasising unnerving details is fantastic. An example is early shot of Jai Courtney from rear lower right as he is steering his vessel, answering a question to a customer off screen gives a severe but compelling sense of unease, a sense of foreboding about the kind of person Bruce is and the trouble the customers are in. A sense amplified through the film until he reveals himself to Zephyr, with his revelling in her moment of hopelessness.

 

Dangerous Animals is a thoroughly creepy and unnerving film thanks to the fearsome performance of Jai Courtney and his revelry for sharks.