''Red Water'' is a 2003 American
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
starring
Lou Diamond Phillips,
Kristy Swanson
Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''.
Her first starring role was in ...
,
Gideon Emery
Gideon Emery (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in '' Teen Wolf'' and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films.
Early life and education
Emery was born to Pau ...
and
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...
. When former oil rig worker turned fishing captain John Sanders (
Lou Diamond Phillips) agrees to help when his ex-wife's company in extracting oil upriver and a group of thugs working for a
Jamaican gangster search for $3 million buried underwater in the sam bayou, a large man-eating
bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
finds its way in the river and wreaks havoc. The film originally premiered on
TBS Superstation on August 17, 2003.
Production and release
The film originally aired on
TBS Superstation on August 17, 2003, and became one of the highest-rated films in the network's history. Directed by
Charles Robert Carner
Charles Robert Carner (born April 30, 1957) is an American TV and film director and writer. He is primarily known for directing numerous TV movies as well as the theatrical film ''Witless Protection''. He was married to Debra Sharkey, with whom h ...
and produced by
Michael G. Larkin and
Mitch Engel, the film tells the story of a
bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
which wreaks havoc as it makes its way up a river in Louisiana.
Plot
A small
oil rig
An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling.
Kinds of oil rig include:
* Drilling rig
A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...
located on a small
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
hits it big and former oiler John Sanders (who quit when a blowout occurred on a rig he was the boss of and four men died) and his friend Emery are hired to take his ex-wife Kelly and her boss to the location. Nearby, some thugs go diving for stolen goods that have been dumped in the river. Unfortunately, at the same time, a huge
bull shark
The bull shark (''Carcharhinus leucas''), also known as the Zambezi shark (informally zambi) in Africa and Lake Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a species of requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in riv ...
enters the river. Emery's people, a local tribe, believe that the shark is the physical manifestation of a spirit that supposedly protects the area where the well is located, brought forth as a form of vengeance for the driller's activities.
The shark begins to terrorize the area, killing several people, and an attempt by locals to kill it only drives it right back up the river, towards the oil rig. As a result of all the chaos, a $10,000 reward is posted for the shark's death. Unfortunately, John, Emery, Kelly and her boss are captured by the three thugs, and Kelly's boss is shot in the leg and ultimately bleeds to death. The oil rig has a blowout, killing two workers. The shark arrives and kills several people, seemingly taunting the crew by swimming around the rig.
The thugs force John and Kelly to dive for and recover the loot, while the thugs drink, mock each other and plot what to do with the money. One of the thugs kills one of his cohorts in order to keep the money for himself and his partner, Jerry. John manages to escape from the thugs and, after helping Kelly and Emery to escape, shoots the fuel tank on his boat, killing one of the thugs. The only one remaining, Ice, (
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...
) is killed by the shark while attempting to retrieve the money himself.
John manages to lure the shark under the oil rig and Emery activates the drill, dropping it into the shark's mouth, finally killing it. John, Kelly and Emery retrieve a tooth from the shark as proof of its death (the shark had bitten John on the foot, breaking off the tooth), and debate whether to collect the reward, but Emery, still believing the shark to have been a spirit in physical form, suggests that now that it is dead, they should just let it rest in peace. John heeds Emery's advice and tosses the tooth into the river, where it sinks to the bottom. Seconds later, the trio are found by the local
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
, who shows up in a
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
to check on them.
Cast
*
Lou Diamond Phillips as John Sanders
*
Kristy Swanson
Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''.
Her first starring role was in ...
as Dr. Kelli Raymond
*
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...
as Ice
*
Jaimz Woolvett as Jerry Collins
*
Rob Boltin as Emery Brousard
*
Langley Kirkwood as Brett van Ryan
*
Dennis Haskins as Captain Dale Landry
*
Gideon Emery
Gideon Emery (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in '' Teen Wolf'' and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films.
Early life and education
Emery was born to Pau ...
as Gene Bradley
*Charles Dumas as Hank Ellis
*
Clive Scott as Grandpa Gautreau
*
Nicholas Andrews as André Gautreau
*
Hilton Myburgh as Vidrine
*
Garth Collins as Lacombe, Oil Rig Worker
*
Tumisho Masha as Rick (as Tumisho K. Masha)
*Shirley Davidson as Tricia
*
Lord Jason Scott as Sgt. S. Davies Deputy
See also
*
List of killer shark films
Natural horror is a subgenre of horror films that features natural forces, typically in the form of Fauna, animals or Flora, plants, that pose a threat to human characters.
Though killer animals in film have existed since the release of ''The Lo ...
External links
*
{{Charles Robert Carner
2003 television films
2003 films
2000s monster movies
American monster movies
American natural horror films
Films about shark attacks
Films directed by Charles Robert Carner
TBS (American TV channel) original films
Films set in Louisiana
2000s American films
Sony Pictures direct-to-video films