“I read on the internet a long time ago that the shark film is the only type of film that's never lost money, and we all know the internet never lies.”

- Sean Byrne, director of Dangerous Animals

The latest Australian shark thriller from director Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy) is called Dangerous Animals - but the twist?

The dangerous animals aren’t quite what you’d expect.

The film opens with two innocent foreigners visiting Australia to swim with sharks. Enter Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad, A Good Day to Die Hard) as Tucker - a physically imposing and unpredictably charismatic local who quickly becomes the heart (and menace) of the story.

A still from Dangerous Animals. Source: Kismet Movies

“He was our first choice and that very rarely happens. He's an absolute beast in the film,” Byrne said of Courtney. 

“He's kind of uniquely Australian in a wildly charismatic way. He’s also so incredibly physically intimidating. When I first met him, I couldn't even wrap my arms around him because he's like a grizzly bear. 

“I thought that combination could be really kind of intriguing. Unhinged is a great word to describe his performance - in the best way possible.”

Tucker, a boat captain who runs a shark cage tourist attraction and also claims he was bitten by a shark as a child, soon proves to be far more dangerous than anything lurking in the water.

As his behavior grows increasingly erratic, the film's tension begins to simmer.

Meanwhile, a romantic subplot quietly unfolds between Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), an American tourist, and Moses (John Heuston), a local real estate agent. Both are loner surfers, looking for a connection beyond the sea.

But just as their budding rom-com begins to take shape, it gets T-boned by Tucker’s shark movie - crashing genres in a chaotic, exhilarating collision. The result? A mash-up that feels like Death Proof meets Jaws… with a wink to When Harry Met Sally (well, maybe not quite that last one).

Dangerous Animals poster. Source: Kismet Movies

This genre-bending concept is exactly what drew Byrne to writer Nick Lepard’s script.

“It’s just a great fusion of two very popular sub-genres of horror,” said Byrne. 

“As soon as I read it, I thought Nick had kind of cracked the code. It felt genuinely original.

"Every shark film was basically the same after Jaws, and I was like, who doesn’t want to see an original shark film?”

Dangerous Animals slowly stacks tension like a tower of Jenga blocks - each scene more unstable than the last, but somehow still standing. At just 98 minutes, it’s lean by modern standards, but that only sharpens its impact. 

The film delivers memorable characters, punchy action set pieces, emotional surprises, and stylish cinematography that leans into its B-movie aesthetic.

And there was even a real-life shark encounter during filming.

“We actually did have a real shark incident,” Byrne recalled.

“We had a dive team manning the perimeter, and our actors were in what's called a marine life barrier, which is safe.

“But while they were in the water, we had a real shark turn up and take one of the divers under - took his flipper, and that was that.

“Part of it was just because we were shooting on the water for a month, and we were told the only way something like that can happen is if you're staying in the same position.

"Sharks get really curious. It was more like the shark just kind of wanted to be an extra and gave the diver a bit of a nudge,” Byrne joked.

Ultimately, Dangerous Animals is a pulpy, tightly constructed horror-thriller that plays with expectations - and wins. Courtney’s unhinged, magnetic performance alone makes it worth diving in.

The film is out now at Event Cinemas Shellharbour and Hoyts Warrawong, so go support an Australian made film.