It's not quite up to the level of “Jaws,” but "Orca" manages to be a poignant maritime disaster and, in some respects, impressive. Released in 1977 under the direction of Michael Anderson, the film features Richard Harris as a Newfoundland fisherman pursuing substantial earnings by capturing a killer whale for an aquatic theme park. He makes a poor job of it, though, which provokes a vengeful response from the whale’s father. Appearing two years after "Jaws" became a huge success, this feels like a copycat production, but its story and tone are distinct enough to avoid being a cheap imitation. There are recognizable parallels, however: a portion of the film's final third involves a boat crew heading out to confront an oceanic adversary, and there’s another moment where someone slides down a sloping structure toward the marine animal. Despite not being as technically polished as "Jaws," “Orca” possesses its own individual appeal. The narrative unfolds as a maritime tragedy, maintaining a consistently somber atmosphere without any attempts at humor, similar to “Piranha” (1978). The plot is essentially an inversion of Melville’s “Moby Dick,” with the whale assuming the role of the bitter Ahab. Ennio Morricone's score—known for works like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"—is beautiful, touching, and unsettling. The casting choices are also strong: Harris embodies the aging fisherman well, Charlotte Rampling is sharp and intelligent as the marine biologist, Will Sampson ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") delivers a great performance (albeit somewhat predictable) as the Indian sage with his ominous pronouncements, and Bo Derek…is simply present. The Newfoundland locations are visually striking, and at roughly an hour and a half, the movie is concise without feeling padded. Still, viewers prone to attention deficits might find the pacing occasionally slow. Certain scenes stand out: The disturbing sequence depicting Orca's mate rejecting her calf while suspended on the ship; and another where Orca unleashes widespread destruction in a village at night, during which Nolan (Harris) observes the devastation as the whale leaps playfully from the water. I want to stress that “Orca” is not just another low-budget creature feature like "Crocodile" (2000); it's a serious and affecting tragedy. The film runs for 92 minutes. The screenplay was written by Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Donati, and Robert Towne, adapted from Arthur Herzog’s novel. GRADE: B+

Source on TMDB