The Orca is drifting in neutral. The ocean is like gelatin,
the sun sucking heat waves from its surface.
Brody at the stern, handkerchief on his head to protect from
further sunburn, has been handed the slimiest job on a shark
hunt: the ladling out of chum. There are several empty chum
barrels. A flag buoy bobs in the wake of the boat, another
waits to be tossed over the side. Brody is reeling with
nausea. He opens his overnight kit and takes out a
handkerchief and some Old Spice after-shave. He pours the
after-shave into the cloth, presses it to his nose. Hooper
is also in the stern.
QUINT
Keep that chum line going -- we've got five good miles. Don't break it.
BRODY
Who's driving the boat?
QUINT
Nobody. We're drifting with the current.
HOOPER
(using the fish finder)
Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
QUINT
(to Hooper)
Hell, in the old days we went out with good charts, good sounding lead, and a damn good compass. Nowadays, these kids are afraid to go out without depth finders, radar, radio, electric toothbrush, every stupid thing...
Quint opens a can of beer and drains it in one long pull,
crushing the empty and throwing it over the side. Hooper
drains his coffee from a styrofoam cup, and cracks it in his
hand with a silly "plup." He stows the pieces in an empty
chum barrel.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(to Brody)
Get a fresh barrel.
Brody goes to unlash a fresh barrel, but can't figure out
the knots. He finally tugs on a piece of rope, and it all
comes loose... barrel, shark cage, and, most important,
Hooper's tanks, clattering and rolling on the deck.
HOOPER
(jumping up)
Watch it!
(MORE)
HOOPER (CONT'D)
Compressed air -- you screw around with one of those and Boom! Careful, huh?
QUINT
(mutters)
Real fine stuff but it won't mean a thing to Mr. Whitey, of course... he didn't go to schools in electronics. He was born with what he does best. Eat. He's a swimming appetite. 'Course he might eat this stuff, but then I've seen him eat a rocking chair, too.
(to Brody)
Next time, ask me.
DISSOLVE TO:
LATER
The men are in different positions on the boat. Hooper on
the flying bridge. Quint in the stern, Brody hanging over
the rail, puking.
Quint takes a wide red strip of whale meat and a gnarled
squid from the garbage pail, and searches for a No. 2 hook
rig. He holds up a strip of whale.
HOOPER
(eyeing bait)
That's pilot whale, isn't it?
QUINT
It ain't a Big Mac.
(to Brody)
The expert don't approve. What do you thing? You're closer to the situation.
(laughs)
Brody shades his eyes from the white sun as Quint baits up.
BRODY
(croaky)
Why are we way out here, when the shark's back there?
QUINT
(snapping bait to his leader)
...'cause this is where he lives. You gotta think like they do.
HOOPER
(to himself)
Easy for you -- they got a brain the size of a radish.
Quint sits in the fighting chair. He casts off, murmuring as
the line feeds out.
QUINT
(to Brody)
Now if he weren't around, we'd of hooked something else by now, wouldn't we? But he scared 'em all away. Big lonesome son of a bitch...
DISSOLVE TO:
LATER
Quint at ease in his chair, Brody near him, practicing tying
knots. The line starts to move, a few feet at a time; both
men watch. Then the line whizzes off the reel. Brody jumps
up. Hooper springs to the deck. Quint puts his hand on the
drag and addresses the situation softly.
QUINT
-- he'll gulp it down now...
(making gulping noises)
Hooooooo!
Quint tightens drag and strikes. The line goes whizzing out.
Brody runs to Quint's side. Hooper springs up to the flying
bridge.
BRODY
You got it?
QUINT
(turning with the pull)
Get behind me, dummy!
(shouts to Hooper)
Reverse her and turn -- he's taking too much line!
(to Brody)
Wet my reel, quick!
Brody goes to get water, the boat surges, he staggers. Brody
pours water on the screaming reel, nearly unspooled now.
Hooper is turning the boat around and the line changes
direction.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(straining, muscles popping)
Starboard, for Chris'sake --
Hooper steers it sharply.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(to Hooper)
Hey, you! Farmer! Half-speed there...
HOOPER
(almost to himself)
Aye, Aye SIR. Stand by to repel boarders. Poop the mainsail. Argh, Jim Boy.
Again the line changes direction, down this time.
QUINT
(to Hooper)
Neutral!
(to himself)
Where the hell is he going?
Quint reeling in like mad.
QUINT (CONT’D)
Oh, this ain't foolin' me --
(rod arcs down with a surge)
Sure -- try it!
He ad libs brief instructions to Brody as the line rushes
out and there is less tension. Quint is horsing up and down,
reeling in.
QUINT (CONT’D)
Makin' believe it's easy now.
The line is almost vertical, and Quint shows a hint of
bafflement. He reels in suspiciously.
QUINT (CONT’D)
Gettin' ready to run again -- no? No?
(suspicious)
What's he playin' here?
(reels in furiously, to Brody)
Put the gloves on!
(to fish)
(MORE)
QUINT (CONT’D)
Let's see who's gonna tease who now!
HOOPER
Let it go, don't waste your time.
QUINT
(to Hooper)
Down here, Hooper!
Hooper is rushing down.
HOOPER
I don't know what it is, but it's not a shark.
QUINT
(bathed in sweat; hauling, reeling)
Look -- you may be a big Yahoo in the lab, but out here you're just supercargo, and you'll do as I say, or you can take your gear and backstroke home. Now get down here!
The leaders show above the water line. Brody is wide-eyed,
waiting for that first look.
BRODY
The wire's showing!
QUINT
(to Brody)
Unbuckle me -- fast!
(to Hooper)
Grab the leader. He ain't normal, this one... they never --
HOOPER
It's too wild, too erratic. It's a marlin or a stingray. It's a gamefish.
Hooper snaps the rope onto the leader and holds on.
QUINT
Watch your hands --
(suddenly to Brody)
Grab onto this!
Before he realizes what's happening, Brody is clumsily
clutching at the big rod, appalled. Quint skips away for a
flying gaff. He picks one, turns...
That's when the leader lashes free, sending Hooper crashing
backward in a serious fall, and the rod whips at Brody's
forehead, drawing blood. Quint snatches up the rod and reels
in.
The wires have been bitten through.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(to Hooper)
A marlin, or a stingray. Huh. Don't ever tell me my business again. Get back up on the bridge.
HOOPER
(stunned)
I'm okay...
QUINT
(to Brody)
Fasten the pole.
BRODY
What's the point with hooks and Lines? --
QUINT
Don't tell me my business!
(to Hooper, points)
Quarter-mile, that way. Full throttle.
Hooper shakes off his dizziness and obeys. Brody watches
Quint rig up a new leader, hook up the same bait.
BRODY
(nursing forehead, gesturing at rod and reel)
How -- if they're gonna keep on breaking?
QUINT
What I do is trick him to the surface, got that? Then I can jab him, understand?
(goes to flybridge, muttering)
Think I'm gonna haul it in as if he's a catfish, like everyone else does?
Brody goes inside to inspect his forehead.
ON BRIDGE - HOOPER AND QUINT
QUINT
(suddenly, pointing)
Over there!
HOOPER
What do you see?
QUINT
(still looking)
At least you handle the boat all right. Stop. Here... Cut the engine.
Hooper cuts the engines as Quint swings nimbly down. He
stands stock still on the main deck, motioning Brody to be
silent.
Then picking up the newly rigged rod, Quint softshoes it
over to the chair. About to sit down, he freezes.
CLOSE - QUINT
looking hard at something.
CLOSE - BRODY
staring, eyes widening.
CLOSE - HOOPER
moving in, surprised, interested, fascinated.
THEIR COMBINED POINT OF VIEW
We see the shark. First the fin... then the head and upper
jaws, ten or twenty yards off the side of the boat. It
finally submerges, its tail giving a final slap.
ANGLE ON QUINT
He puts his rod away and stares at it. And stares. And
stares.
Hooper is the first to break the silence.
HOOPER
feet, if it's an inch...
QUINT
feet. And three tons of him there.
Hooper is nearly beside himself with a strange ecstasy. He
leaps toward his gear.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(quietly, to Brody)
I never saw one that big.
BRODY
What do we do? Get some help? Radio in?
Quint ignores him and moves off into the pilot house, where
he swiftly takes out his green case, and opens it to begin
to assemble something inside it. Brody is alone on the deck
with Hooper.
BRODY (CONT’D)
How're we gonna handle this?
Hooper is contained in his own excitement. He has finally
come up with what he was looking for -- an expensive Nikon
through which he peers intently at the shark alongside. He
is talking half to himself as he fine-tunes the range finder
and focus.
He is squeaking and bubbling in an unsuppressed emotional
boil.
HOOPER
(very, very high)
There's a formula! Girth, about 150 inches, squared, divide by 800 -- son of a bitch, they are not going to believe this! -- divide by 2000... three tons!
(after Quint)
You're right, you old fart! Three tons!
(ad libs ecstasy)
CLOSE ON QUINT IN THE PILOT HOUSE
He is assembling the Greener harpoon gun, deftly screwing on
the long wooden stock, the heavy steel barrel, and big shaft
with the wicked barbs, the frame all rigged with line. Past
him, on the deck, we can still see Hooper. As Quint is
working with the gun, the radio suddenly squawks into life.
RADIO VOICE (V.O.)
Amity Point Light Station to Orca. This is Amity Point Light Station, to Orca...
Quint snaps the mouthpiece to his lips.
QUINT
Orca here.
RADIO VOICE (V.O.)
I have Mrs. Martin Brody here...
QUINT
Put her on.
ELLEN'S VOICE
...push this? Oh. It's working. Hello, Martin?
QUINT
This is Quint, Missus.
ELLEN'S VOICE
I just wanted to know if you were all right... the Coast Guard let me use their radio. Is Chief Brody there?
QUINT
He's busy.
ELLEN'S VOICE
Well... is everything all right?
QUINT
Just fine, Missus. We'll be back soon. Everything's fine. We haven't seen anything yet. Orca out.
He snaps off the radio, and, for good measure, pulls the
plug from the power source.
ANGLE FROM DECK
The big shark is slicing through the water just below the
surface, its fin high, the big gray back glistening, the
teeth gleaming.
ANGLE - INCLUDING FOREDECK
HOOPER
(on deck)
Damn it! I need something in the foreground to give it some scale. Martin! Stand here! No, to your left!
He is positioning Martin frantically, trying to include
Brody, the shark, and the Orca in the same frame.
Quint finishes with the gun, and as a final gesture, snaps
an explosive cartridge into the breech. He empties the box
of cartridges onto the table, snatches up a big handful, and
drops them into a pocket, and heads out on deck, bound for
the bow pulpit.
ON DECK
Quint appears with the harpoon gun. He throws one end of the line to Hooper.
QUINT
Here. Rig this to the forward keg up there.
He indicates the barrels on the foredeck.
QUINT (CONT’D)
(to Brody)
Get up there and steer her. Follow my hand, and hold 'er steady. I've got to get a clean shot at that porker's head.
Quint moves up toward the bow, Brody goes up to the flying
bridge to take the wheel, Hooper starts for the foredeck,
but stops to rummage in his kit, throwing gear around as he
desperately hunts for something.
QUINT (CONT’D)
Hurry up, rig the line!
ANGLE ON HOOPER
He finds what he's looking for. A small, powerful strobe
unit, waterproofed, a miniature signal beacon. He triggers
it, and it begins to pulse with a light we can see even in
the sun.
Hooper scampers to the foredeck and begins to rig the light
to the first barrel, as the shark begins to surface near the
bow.
QUINT
(to Brody)
Come to port. Watch my hand. Steady now...
He guides Brody with hand signals. Brody tries urgently to
get it right, not to oversteer, to try to hold the big boat
with its throbbing diesels on the course that Quint is
indicating.
QUINT (CONT’D)
The line, man, the line!
Hooper is rigging like crazy.
FROM THE FLYING BRIDGE
Brody steering f.g., Hooper on the foredeck with the
barrels, Quint leaning out over the pulpit, the gun at the
ready, the shark crossing inexorably in front of them.
CLOSE ON QUINT
Agonizing over his shot as the shark approaches, glancing
back to see if the line is properly rigged and Hooper is
clear of it.
QUINT
Get clear, damn you!
The shark is in position, Hooper shouts, a moment too late.
HOOPER
Clear!
Quint fires. The harpoon slams into the shark behind his
head, half-way along the back in front of the big dorsal
fin.
QUINT
Jesus H. Christ On a Crutch!
INSERT - COILED ROPE AND BARREL
The rope snaps out in a blur of violent motion, Hooper jumps
back, and the barrel leaps out of its rack, pulled by the
line rigged to the harpoon. It bounds forward and into the
sea, past Quint, who is already reloading, mounting another
steel shaft. In the distance, the barrel bobs and skips
violently in the water, dragged by the shark in his
merciless moves.
THE FOREDECK - QUINT
QUINT
Now you've done it, you piss-ant. Stop and rig a goddam tinker toy to my gear. Let the bastard fight the keg for a while. He can't stay down with that on.
Hooper, furious with himself, runs for the flying bridge to
take the helm from Brody.
THE FLYING BRIDGE, BRODY AND HOOPER
Hooper has snatched the wheel, and is ramming the throttle
forward as he spins the wheel in a frantic 180 degree turn.
HOOPER
(to Quint)
Rig another keg! I'm bringing her around!
His eyes dart about the ocean, looking for the barrel, as he
hot-dogs the ship around in a violent expression of his own
disgust with himself.
HOOPER (CONT’D)
(to himself)
God damn it! We had him!
(to Quint)
I'm coming about!
He spins the wheel again, trying to make the big boat handle
like a formula speedster. The decks tip and the rigging
sways under the sudden strain. Brody is caught unaware, and
tumbles off his feet, sliding across the deck to fetch up
against a wall. the M1 Rifle is close to his hand. He stares
at it.
FROM THE FLYING BRIDGE
Hooper is anguished, intense, trying to find the shark,
spinning the wheel, compounding his error, tipping the boat
in rolling turns as he crosses his own wake. Quint has
turned his back to the sea, and is in the pulpit looking up
at Hooper, staring at him, excluding everything else.
As Quint folds his arms and stares at Hooper, we realize the
sun is going down, and it's getting dark.
BRODY
Why don't we go in? Get another crack at him tomorrow.
QUINT
We got a barrel on him. We can't lose him. We stay out here until we find him.
Hooper throttles back, and the roar of the diesels subsides
and the boat resumes an even keel, slowly circling the
ocean.
BRODY
Let's call in -- we can radio and have a big boat here in an hour...
QUINT
(grim)
You hired me, remember? It's my $10,000. It's my shark...