The death of Russell Franklin (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in Deep Blue Sea is, for me, the most memorable scene in the campy thriller and a thoroughly unexpected and amusing delight.
As the marquee star of the film, Jackson’s early demise by shark attack is a surprising event since by standard film conventions, the most well-known star tends to outlast the lesser known supporting cast members.
Franklin is a corporate executive who is sent by the financial backers of a science experiment to see what the scientists have been up to. He learns that one scientist violated the code of ethics in trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by increasing the brain capacity of Mako sharks, making them faster, smarter, stronger and meaner. When the head scientist is viciously eaten by one of the killer sharks and the crew panics and bitter recriminations start flying, Franklin delivers a rousing soliloquy to the crew about having cheated death before and about how man is more lethal than nature. It’s wonderfully ironic and hilarious because as Franklin continues to sermonize, out from the water tank behind him erupts one of the super intelligent, killer sharks, swallowing Franklin up and chomping him to bits. It should be gruesome and terrifying to witness, but the whole build up to that moment simply sets up a scene that incites serious laughter, and it still gets me every time I see it.
Please note that the following clip contains violence and adult language.
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