Jaws Script Analysis: The Endless Fight for Control
Since summer is right around the corner, I thought it’d be nice to reflect back on the film that created the summer blockbuster, launched Steven Spielberg’s career, and just so happens to turn 50 years old this month: Jaws. One of my favorite movies of all time, Jaws has remained relevant in American popular culture since its opening weekend for a multitude of reasons. First, its beachfront Fourth of July setting gives us a reason to rewatch it annually, so it never falls out of the conversation. Second, the themes presented in the film surrounding greed, control, and power mirror almost every political and cultural climate America has experienced since the film’s release, so it’s always relevant. And third, it’s got a giant, killer shark. Let’s dive in (but not too deep)
OPENING IMAGE
The film opens with a POV shot of someone, or something, swimming through the ocean waters of Amity Island. While the shot is beautiful and almost peaceful, we know this is a movie about a shark. The calm, gorgeous underwater images are immediately juxtaposed with the audience’s realization that they are actually witnessing the perspective of the animal just before it takes its first victim. Just like that, serenity turns to fear.
INCITING INCIDENT
The inciting incident in this film happens right away. During a bonfire at the beach, two teenagers, Tommy and Chrissie, sneak away from their friends to swim in the ocean. Chrissie is enthusiastic and leads the way, but Tom is too drunk to keep up. He collapses on the beach, so she dives in without him.
She feels something brush by her and rises to the top, assuming that Tommy has finally hopped in. But when she glances back at the beach and notices that he still hasn’t gotten in the water, she knows something’s wrong. This fearful anticipation doesn’t last long, though, as Chrissie is suddenly and violently dragged underwater. She pops up, just to be dragged under again. Whatever has her, it’s not letting go. She’s thrashed side to side, up and down, over and over, screaming in pain the entire time until finally…she goes under and doesn’t come up again. The scariest part? We don’t even get to see what got her.
SET UP
The morning after the attack, we’re introduced to the protagonist, Chief Brody, and his wife, Ellen, as they spend the morning together.
Within half a page, we already learn that Chief Brody is married, has a family, and is new in town (all of which become important characteristics later on). He gets an urgent call from the station, where he learns that something horrible has happened, and he has to check it out.
We cut to Brody walking along the beach with Tom Cassidy, who has reported Chrissie as missing. They discuss what happened in detail when suddenly a loud whistle gets blown 50 yards away: the Police Deputy, Hendricks, has found the body…
Chief Brody goes back to the station to prepare an accident report. As he types in all the information he knows about Chrissie’s death so far, he gets a call from the coroner…
Right away, Chief Brody makes the executive decision to close all the beaches until further notice. He orders Deputy Hendricks to help him put up signs.
Later, as Brody works to make sure that everybody knows the beaches are closed, he’s bombarded by the Mayor of Amity, Vaughn, and his posse of government yes-men (including the coroner who had just determined the cause of death to be a shark attack). They try to convince him that he doesn’t have the authority to close down the beaches and that Chrissie most likely didn’t even get attacked by a shark.
The Mayor is clearly more concerned with the potential profits of the Fourth of July weekend than putting people in danger, so much so that he assembled an entire team just to harass the Chief. And the Chief, being an outsider within this community, has no choice but to go along with them. Right now, the Mayor has all the power.
DEBATE
The next day, everyone in town is having a fun day on the beach, completely unaware that a shark attack has most likely just occurred. Brody, who’s afraid of the water, keeps a close watch on everyone swimming. He was supposed to have power over the beaches and has been completely undermined. Now, if anything happens, it’s partially his fault.
Then, after a couple of moments of peace, disaster strikes. Somebody has been sucked underwater and blood floods the shallow end of the ocean. Everybody scrambles out of there, except for one kid who never returned from the water: Alex Kintner.
A town meeting has been called to discuss the event and how to move forward. Mrs. Kintner, Alex’s mother, has offered a $3,000 bounty on anyone who kills the shark that killed her son, which has turned the whole ordeal into more of a spectacle than a tragedy. Clearly, most of the people attending this meeting are either wanting the reward money or are concerned about the beaches closing for the Fourth of July. When Brody tells them that he is, indeed, closing the beaches for the next 24 hours, the place goes crazy. Suddenly, their murmurs and yelling are silenced by the deafening sound of nails on a chalkboard in the back of the room: Quint.
Quint proposes a new idea of how to solve the shark problem: instead of offering $3,000 to any amateur fisherman to bring in the shark (which could take all summer), give him $10,000 to do it in a matter of days. Brody and the Mayor consider this, but ultimately do not accept.
BREAK INTO TWO
Act 2 begins with the entire town beginning to take the shark threat a little more seriously.
Two local fishermen sneak away to the docks late at night in an attempt to cash in on the bounty. Instead of going out on a boat to hunt the shark, they put a hook on a long chain, throw it in the water, and tie the other end to the dock. When the shark actually ends up taking the bait, he brings the whole dock down with it, including the two fishermen. The shark turns around and sets his sights on human meat, but the fishermen narrowly make their escape. Whatever this animal is…it’s bigger than they thought.
The next morning, the pier is in complete anarchy. Fishermen from all over the county have traveled to Amity in an attempt to catch the shark. Brody unsuccessfully attempts to keep things under control when suddenly he bumps into Matt Hooper, the scientist sent by the Oceanographic Institute. The two bond over their shared disapproval of the way things are being handled around here.
Hooper and Brody make their way to the coroner’s office to inspect what’s left of Chrissie’s body, and to nobody’s surprise, he confirms it as a shark attack.
After the examination, the two men make their way back to the docks to discover that the fishermen actually caught the shark (or so they think). Crowds of people swarm the gigantic remains of the beast as the fishermen hoist it up for all to see. Right away, Hooper’s skeptical.
After some quick measurements, Hooper realizes that it’s likely not the same shark that has been attacking Amity’s beaches, which he quickly relays to Brody and the Mayor. Brody believes him, but the Mayor still refuses to.
This moment brings up an interesting collision of power dynamics presented throughout the film. You have the political perspective (The Mayor), whose sole focus is on popularity and money. He’s willing to risk the danger if it makes him look good and is profitable in the short term. Then you have the lawful perspective (Chief Brody), whose sole focus is whether or not the people are safe. He has no outside knowledge of sharks and doesn’t care about how the public views him, but he’s going with his gut. Then you have the scientific perspective (Hooper), who has studied sharks his whole life, is a reliable source on the subject, and whose sole focus is to inform the people of Amity about the legitimacy of this threat. All three groups of people are looked up to by the public, but when they’re all at odds, it becomes difficult for the everyman to know who to trust (although it’s safe to say that the scientist is usually the best bet). All three want control over the situation and feel that it’s owed to them, but the presence of the shark (a seemingly unstoppable, destructive force) proves that not everything can be controlled.
That night, Hooper stops by Brody’s house and convinces him that they need to cut open the shark for confirmation. It’s the only way to be sure. If there’s a body in there, then they got it. If not, then the shark’s still out there. They go back to the docks…
FUN AND GAMES
Chief Brody and Hooper go to the docks and cut open the shark, only to find a series of trash items in its stomach. It’s clear that this isn’t the shark they were looking for. Panicked, they decide to go out on the water right away to look for the real shark, just to see what they’re up against. To their horror, they find a half-eaten abandoned boat, a large tooth stuck in the side, and fisherman Ben Gardner’s severed head floating in the water. When Hooper sees this, he gets so scared that he drops the tooth–his only proof of a larger shark existing out there.
The next day, Hooper and Brody desperately try to plead with the Mayor to close the beaches.
But the Mayor still won’t budge, and without the tooth to show as proof, he downright refuses to believe a word they say. Tomorrow’s the Fourth of July, and the tourists have already started pouring into town.
The next day, the beaches are flooded with people, but nobody’s going into the water. Dozens of Coast Guard officers are on standby via boats and helicopters, but that’s only making people feel more nervous. The Mayor hates what he’s seeing and starts to egg people on to go swimming. One brave family goes first, then another follows, and then suddenly everyone’s taking a swim. Everything’s back to normal.
Chief Brody, on the other hand, is terrified. He even goes so far as to tell his son to only paddle his dinghy on the pond.
Just as everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, a dark gray fin pops out of the water (the most we’ve seen of the animal thus far). Folks yell “shark”, panic ensues, and the Coast Guard races to kill the beast (which only ended up being a hoax by two teenagers). But, in all the commotion from the hoax, a very real shark appears in the pond…right where Brody’s son is.
Michael’s in shock and has to be hospitalized, another man is dead, and the situation has officially escalated beyond manageability.
Later, Vaughn stops by the hospital to check on Brody and his family, where he finally has to answer for his mistakes.
No more excuses. They’re hiring Quint to kill the thing once and for all.
MIDPOINT
The midpoint of the script finds Hooper and Brody on Quint’s boat, The Orca, as they make their official offer to him. He accepts, but there’s a catch: Brody and Hooper want to come with. Quint, being an overly independent masculine archetype who doesn’t want help from anyone, argues against this. On top of that, he and Hooper are already at each other’s throats (working man vs. college boy type of thing). Brody tells him that if they can’t join, then the deal is off the table. So, hesitantly, Quinn accepts, and the three begin their expedition.
Aboard the ship, the dynamics of control shift once again. While aboard the Orca, all control belongs to one man and one only: Quint. There is no Mayor here, Brody no longer has police jurisdiction, and Hooper’s scientific knowledge means nothing to a man who’s seen it all.
BAD TO WORSE
The chemistry on the boat is a mess. Quinn doesn’t want to let anyone help, Hooper refuses to ever acknowledge when he’s wrong, and Brody’s still afraid of the water and doesn’t know how to do anything.
So far, their only luck with potentially catching the shark has been by shooting harpoons tied to barrels at it with the hopes that they’ll keep the animal near the surface. Brody tries to help out in this department, but pulls the wrong knot and almost blows the boat up with Hooper’s air tanks in the process.
BREAK INTO THREE
Act 3 begins when the three men finally see the shark for the first time. When Quinn finally gets him on the line, the shark starts toying with them–swimming under the boat, circling them, giving slack before yanking them down. Suddenly, the line snaps (almost killing Brody in the process). Just when they think the shark is gone, he emerges completely for the first time: 25 feet long, bigger than anyone could have ever expected…
Now knowing what they’re up against, the entire mood shifts. This is no longer a fishing expedition; it’s a fight for survival.
FINALE
After shooting another barrel into the side of the shark, the men decide to go inside the boat and have a drink. They pass around booze and share war stories from their pasts, which allows Hooper and Quint to finally relate in some way. It’s all fun and games until Brody, feeling left out, tries to join in by asking Quint about a tattoo on his forearm.
What follows is perhaps one of the best monologues in cinema history: Quint’s story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis sinking. Normally, I would only try to include a short passage or summarize it some way, but it’s just too damn good. So, here’s the whole thing (3 pages worth).
Now we know why Quint’s the way he is; why he’s taking this mission so personally. He’s going to get this shark, or he’s going to die trying.
Almost immediately after Quint’s story, the ship starts rocking. The shark has begun ramming into them. The boat starts flooding, but Quint doesn’t mind. He wants this thing.
They chase after the shark, destroying the engine in the process. Everyone knows this boat’s going down. Quinn even hands out life vests (but refuses to wear one himself). The shark is clearly winning. Now completely out of options, Quinn goes to Hooper as a last resort. Now, for the first time, Hooper has some control.
So, Brody and Quint drop the cage (with Hooper in it) down into the water, where he almost immediately gets eaten by the shark. So much for control.
The two men aboard the ship desperately pull the cage up to the surface in an attempt to save Hooper, but all they find is wreckage left behind.
Suddenly, the beast launches its head out of the water and onto the stern of the boat, bringing it down into the water and eating everything that slides in its direction…chairs, equipment, Hooper’s air tanks…and unfortunately, even Quint.
As the ship sinks faster and faster, Brody quickly grabs Quint’s rifle and climbs to the only remaining part of the ship above sea level.
He sees the shark in the distance, charging at him with its mouth wide open. And still inside that mouth is Hooper’s air tank. For the first time in the entire movie, Brody is the one in control. Not the Mayor, not Quint, not Hooper, not even the shark. No, this moment is all his.
CLOSING IMAGE
Just when it’s safe to come out, Hooper rises to the surface.
Hooper and Brody, two unlikely heroes, have finally defeated the Great White Shark of Amity Island. They slowly start paddling back to shore, and Brody, who used to be afraid of the water, can finally swim comfortably knowing that he’s safe.
WHY IT’S TIMELESS
As I mentioned before, this script is absolutely timeless. As far as technical filmmaking goes, it masters every aspect that one could hope for in making a good movie. The dialogue’s crisp, the characters are deep and unique, it's gorgeous the entire time, and Spielberg absolutely directed the shit out of it. On top of that, the themes the film presents regarding power and control within different realms of society are always relevant, allowing the film to be relatable no matter when you watch it. The messages it conveys are subtle and obvious in all the right spots, general enough not to be a time capsule, and human enough to make the entire thing realistic and disappointing instead of cartoonishly satiristic. Basically, what I mean to say is, Jaws is a perfect movie on every single level.
