A motley assortment of folks all betray and double cross each other as they attempt to retrieve a fortune in stolen gems from piranha-infested waters in Brazil.
Director Antonio Margheriti keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a constant pace, makes nice use of the beautifully exotic tropical locations, delivers a fair amount of decent gore, and stages both an exciting heist sequence and a set piece involving a hurricane with skill and aplomb. The compact script by Michael Rogers offers a neat blend of crime, action, horror, and disaster genre elements.
This film further benefits from a tip-top cast: Lee Majors as the macho Lesky, Karen Black as the sassy Kate, Margaux Hemingway as foxy model Gabrielle, Marisa Berenson as the fussy Ann, James Franciscus as the shrewd and duplicitous Paul Diller, Gary Collins as dashing pilot Tom, Roy Brocksmith as flamboyant photographer Ollie, Frank Pesce as the excitable Warren, Dan Pastorini as hunky diver Hans, and Anthony Steffen as the long-suffering Max. Both the rousing disco theme song "The Winner Takes All" sung by Amii Stewart and the funky score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis hit the right-on groovy spot. Ideal late 70's drive-in fare.
Director Antonio Margheriti keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a constant pace, makes nice use of the beautifully exotic tropical locations, delivers a fair amount of decent gore, and stages both an exciting heist sequence and a set piece involving a hurricane with skill and aplomb. The compact script by Michael Rogers offers a neat blend of crime, action, horror, and disaster genre elements.
This film further benefits from a tip-top cast: Lee Majors as the macho Lesky, Karen Black as the sassy Kate, Margaux Hemingway as foxy model Gabrielle, Marisa Berenson as the fussy Ann, James Franciscus as the shrewd and duplicitous Paul Diller, Gary Collins as dashing pilot Tom, Roy Brocksmith as flamboyant photographer Ollie, Frank Pesce as the excitable Warren, Dan Pastorini as hunky diver Hans, and Anthony Steffen as the long-suffering Max. Both the rousing disco theme song "The Winner Takes All" sung by Amii Stewart and the funky score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis hit the right-on groovy spot. Ideal late 70's drive-in fare.