Orca the Killer Whale

This complex allegory of man’s destructive impact on the natural world is more than just a “man versus beast” cult classic – unlike in Jaws, here it is man who acts the beast. Above all the drama, the movie boasts some amazing scenes of orcas in their natural habitat.

Richard Harris plays Captain Nolan, and Irish-Canadian catching marine animals along the Canadian coast in order to pay off the mortgage of his boat and eventually heading direction home. On one fateful outing, Nolan and his crew target a great white shark for delivery to a local aquarium. At the same time, a small boat carrying Dr. Rachel Bedford (Charlotte Rampling), an expert in the study of whales, and her scientist colleague Ken (Robert Carradine) are also at sea to charter the behaviour of orcas, better known as killer whales. Diving underwater, Dr. Beford instead encounters the great white and only by the skin of her teeth does she reach the safety of their small boat. Ken delivers Rachel into the safety of Nolan’s bigger ship but stays behind to get the small back on shore. Bad mistake, for the terror of the oceans rams the boat but before Ken ends up as shark fodder, a gigantic orca whale suddenly appears out of nowhere, attacks the shark and kills it. The spectacle is witnessed by the entire crew. Later on we see Rachel teaching a group of students on the behaviour of killer whales, and on the distinctive sound these magnificent mammals make. She also lectures Nolan on the almost ‘human’ behaviour and high intelligence of the orcas.

A few days later, a school of orcas is spotted off the coast and Nolan, despite Rachel’s concerns, heads off with his crew to go orca hunting. However, tragedy unfolds when he accidentally harpoons a pregnant female instead. This scene is particularly harrowing to watch, for the injured female tries to kill herself by rubbing against the boat’s propellers. Minutes later, the crew heave the orca on board where she miscarries and with the foetus falling out of her. Nolan’s crew hose the foetus overboard as the surviving male looks on from the sea and delivering pitiful screams. All the while the camera zooms in on his eyes which seem almost human filled with tears. Eventually, the crew throw the dead female carcass over board as well. As if he wants to demonstrate the cruelty of humans, the whale pushes his dead mate onto shore. A Native American named Jacob Umilak (Will Sampson) unleashes ancient tribal wisdom upon Nolan, while an infuriated Rachel angrily berates Nolan and tries to explain once again that orcas are highly intelligent creatures not to be underestimated. Nolan, ridden with guilt over the accidental killing of the female orca, confesses to Rachel that he empathises with the enraged male whale… for some years ago, Nolan lost his own wife and unborn child in a car crash caused by a drunk driver.

It is from then on that the film turns into a revenge movie, sometimes with a distinctive B-movie feel although the tension never lets up. Nolan promises Rachel, who by now is romantically involved with him, not to fight the whale. Despite his best intentions, however, that is precisely what he is forced to do, for the infuriated orca seeks revenge. It gets rather nasty at times, with the whale attacking the little fishing village regularly… sabotaging Nolan’s boat, causing explosions, bringing Nolan’s sea-front house to collapse during which female crew member Annie (Bo Derek) has her leg bitten off. One by one, Nolan’s crew members are either killed or maimed by the mammal, bringing us to the final showdown during which the orca leads Nolan, as well as Ken, Rachel and Umilak on the restored boat into the open and into the icy waters of the Strait of Belle Isle. As you might have guessed, restoring the boat was a waste of time for soon enough the revenge-thirsty orca is at it again, attacking boat and crew. When only Nolan and Rachel are left standing on an iceberg, the whale manages to break off the part on which Nolan stands, thus causing him to slide into the water. It’s now him versus the whale, just like Captain Ahab versus Moby Dick. Eventually, the orca throws Nolan out of the water by means of his tail and smashing him against an iceberg wall. Not only is Nolan killed instantly but he glides back into the water in crucifix-like position – although effective, this moment is a bit on the cheesy side. A shocked Rachel is the only survivor, and in the final scene we see the whale – mission accomplished – swimming southward under the ice.

Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling and Will Sampson deliver flawless and strong performances, in particular Harris as a tortured soul ridden with remorse is utterly believable. The scenes in which the orca attacks crew and village are somewhat far-fetched at times, but ultimately tie in nicely with the overall action – hauntingly emphasized by an evocative score courtesy of award-winning composer Ennio Morricone.