AKA: Sharks in Venice
Directed by Danny Lerner
Starring Stephen Baldwin, Giacomo Gonnella, Vanessa Johansson
Release date Out now

Mafia, sharks and Stephen Baldwin…

Danny Lerner, director of such legendary shark movies as Raging Sharks and Shark Zone, completes his awesome trilogy of fin flicks with another truly great 'jump the shark' extravaganza.

The predators, however, are merely incidental in the utterly insane plot that owes a great deal to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and involves the lost treasure of the Medici. This time the Nazis are replaced with the Mafia – easily recognisable as they all wear black and whose loyalty apparently extends to jumping into shark-infested water with complete disregard for their own survival.

This a career low for Stephen Baldwin, although he can't be blamed for the derivative, utterly humourless script and amateur, sledgehammer editing that leaves some scenes completely directionless. The acting, meanwhile, leaves you wondering if these people were in it for a bet – check out the drunk couple on the bridge; a true gem!

The CGI is as cheap as the bit-part extras, the sharks only really appearing as stock footage that anyone with an interest in BBC wildlife documentaries will recognise. What’s particularly interesting is that fleeting shots are clearly lifted from Jaws – how is that possible? Watch the dream sequence and see if you can spot it...

I was also curious, purely from a technical point of view, how the divers could talk with regulators in their mouths. But that's just me...

Anyway, a truly terrible movie that has to be seen to be disbelieved but makes ideal fodder for a Saturday night in with a lot of pizza (naturally) and beer (maybe Peroni?) with a bunch of friends. Molto bene! Steve White

VERDICT: 3/10 (but for sheer absurdity a solid 7/10)
You'll feel dirty after watching this, yet somehow grateful to be alive...