Jaws (1975)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A coastal community faces a deadly threat when a man-eating great white shark begins attacking beachgoers.
The story
In the New England beach town of Amity Island, a young woman's mysterious death at sea leads to a conflict between local authorities and safety. After a second victim, a young boy, is killed at a crowded beach, the local police chief, Martin Brody, faces pressure from the mayor to keep the beaches open for the sake of the summer economy. When a local shark-hunting frenzy begins, Brody must decide how to handle the growing threat. With the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter, he must confront the reality of a massive predator lurking in the coastal waters.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a young woman is killed by a shark in Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody faces pressure from Mayor Larry Vaughn to keep the beaches open. The situation escalates when a young boy is attacked, leading to a bounty on the shark. Brody, a marine biologist Matt Hooper, and a rugged shark hunter named Quint set out on a boat called the Orca to hunt the predator. During the hunt, the shark repeatedly attacks, eventually disabling the boat's power and equipment. In a final confrontation, the shark devours Quint. Brody manages to kill the shark by exploding a scuba tank in its mouth, allowing him and Hooper to escape to shore.
- First release year
- 1975
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Peter Benchley · screenplay; Carl Gottlieb · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roy Scheider · Martin Brody; Robert Shaw · Quint; Richard Dreyfuss · Matt Hooper; Murray Hamilton · mayor; Lorraine Gary · Brody's wife
- Genres
- thriller
- Themes
- Man vs. Nature
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; ominous
- Setting
- Amity Island, a New England resort town.
- Premise and plot tags
- summer blockbuster; high-concept
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1974 novel by Peter Benchley
- Franchise connections
- Jaws
- Reception
- Regarded as a turning point in motion picture history, Jaws was the prototypical summer blockbuster and was the highest-grossing film in history until the release of Star Wars.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Film Editing · Win; Academy Award · Best Original Dramatic Score · Win; Academy Award · Best Sound · Win; Grammy Award · Best Film Music · Win; BAFTA Award · Best Film Music · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Film Music · Win; Eddie Award · Best Edited Feature Film · Win; People's Choice Awards · Favorite Movie · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first major motion picture to be shot on the ocean.; It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2001.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…