Burt Reynolds gives the most amazing performance of his young career in the role, which launched his sex symbol status. The combination of brilliant direction from Samuel Fuller and specialized, dangerous stunt dives (the shark infested waters claimed the life of one stunt man during filming, Life Magazine even ran pictures of Shark’s tragedy!) make this film more frighteningly real and original than even Steven Spielberg’s box office smash Jaws. Showcasing the rugged badlands of the Middle East and the exotic coastal cities of the Mediterranean Sea, Shark! focuses on a smooth-talking gunrunner who loses his shipment and gets stranded in a small Mediterranean port city. But this is no sleepy fishing village. There's treasure in the waters, and the hunt is on as the action heats up above and below the ocean surface. Shark combines the brilliant, edgy direction of Samuel Fuller with stunning and dangerous stunt-diving work that involved the use of a real life Great White shark.