When Spencer Tracy played the Portugese fisherman in MGM's "Captains Courageous", he dealt with wags laughing at him for his Chico Marxx hairdo. Here, Edward G. Robinson has the same job and the same issue. If, unlike, Spencer Tracy, he didn't win an Oscar for his performance, he still rates an "A" for giving an excellent portrayal in an entertaining if sometimes over-the-top and gruesome melodrama.
The story of Portugese fisherman Robinson starts when he is revealed to be one of three survivors of a capsized boat off the coast of Baja California in shark infested waters. Robinson immediately disposes of one of them into the briny sea after attempting to steal their water supply. The other sole survivor is young Richard Arlen who fights off the sharks right before one of them bites off Robinson's hand, leaving him an American version of Captain Hook. Robinson and Arlen become buddies and share many adventures together. Later, Robinson must visit young Zita Johann to tell her that her father was killed at sea, and ends up marrying her. But Arlen strikes her fancy in spite of her initial rejection of him, and when Robinson sees them in a romantic clinch, he plots revenge.
Set on the Mexican Pacific coast for its fishing sequences and near San Diego for its dramatic story, "Tiger Shark" is an enjoyable mix of action and melodrama. Robinson provides a very layered performance as the rather ruthless fisherman who is loyal to his crew members but deadly to his foes. His final scene really sums up what is inside this character as he faces his own mortality. The film was remade several times by Warner Brothers, most notably as "Manpower" (1941), where Robinson played basically the same role, co-starring George Raft and Marlene Dietrich. That version switched the story from deep sea fishing to the world of men who repair electrical lines, and was used as a major plot device in the Warren Beatty gangster bio "Bugsy".
The story of Portugese fisherman Robinson starts when he is revealed to be one of three survivors of a capsized boat off the coast of Baja California in shark infested waters. Robinson immediately disposes of one of them into the briny sea after attempting to steal their water supply. The other sole survivor is young Richard Arlen who fights off the sharks right before one of them bites off Robinson's hand, leaving him an American version of Captain Hook. Robinson and Arlen become buddies and share many adventures together. Later, Robinson must visit young Zita Johann to tell her that her father was killed at sea, and ends up marrying her. But Arlen strikes her fancy in spite of her initial rejection of him, and when Robinson sees them in a romantic clinch, he plots revenge.
Set on the Mexican Pacific coast for its fishing sequences and near San Diego for its dramatic story, "Tiger Shark" is an enjoyable mix of action and melodrama. Robinson provides a very layered performance as the rather ruthless fisherman who is loyal to his crew members but deadly to his foes. His final scene really sums up what is inside this character as he faces his own mortality. The film was remade several times by Warner Brothers, most notably as "Manpower" (1941), where Robinson played basically the same role, co-starring George Raft and Marlene Dietrich. That version switched the story from deep sea fishing to the world of men who repair electrical lines, and was used as a major plot device in the Warren Beatty gangster bio "Bugsy".