After the unexpected success of “Below the Waters of the Seine”, Netflix dives back into bloody waters with Tommy Wirkola’s production, director of “Zombies in the Snow”. The feature‑series, titled “Brutal Attack”, presents a chaotic setting: a Category 5 hurricane sweeps through a coastal town, dragging hungry sharks onto the flooded streets.
The narrative unfolds along three main threads – a pregnant woman about to give birth, a grieving young woman who must overcome her fear, and a trio of orphaned teenagers under the guardianship of exploitative adults. Each storyline tries to build tension, but the film swings between taking the story too seriously and being too goofy to generate genuine fear.
The attempt to please different audiences dilutes the work’s identity, ending up looking like a forgettable version of titles such as “Killer Predators” and the Australian “The Bait”. The script doesn’t deepen the characters, using pregnancy, grief and orphanhood as narrative crutches. Even Djimon Hounsou’s cameo appears in a separate segment, serving only as exposition, without adding any action.
Even with a limited budget, the visual effects stand out: hurricane‑devastated sets are well‑crafted and the sharks are above average in quality. However, the carnage scenes are scarce; the attacks are unoriginal and most deaths occur out of focus, with the camera rarely diving into the water.
The film behaves like a horror “Afternoon Session”, safe for those unfamiliar with the genre, but unable to impress shark‑movie fans. It’s a fleeting diversion, made for quick consumption on streaming platforms, destined to be quickly forgotten among more relevant productions.
