how come the sun didn't used to shine in here?
right.
probably out in the back yard.
the kids are in the yahd, playing near the cah. how's that sound?
give me 30 years, i'll get it.
did you burn another kettle? y'know you're a fire hazard? this is the third one!
feed the dogs.
i used to wear this to the garden. garbage strikes. dog shit. muggers. ship it.
on the swing? i told you not to play near there until i sanded it down. see what your son did?
oh, yeah. how do i look? older, huh?
sexy, hm? what was i before?
i don't want to depend on these things, y'know -– sometimes you can weaken your eyes.
let's see.
brody.  yeah, what's up.  mmm.  well, what do they usually do, float or wash up? really?.  okay, i'll meet both of you at the beach in . 20 minutes, okay? okay. first goddamn weekend of the summer.
the office.
here? you gotta be kiddin'.
love ya.
christine what?
you picked her up on the ferry.
and nobody else saw her in the water?
think she might've run out on you?
you from around here?
you here for the summer?
what d'you pay for a place just for the summer?
pretty stiff.
maybe that's your girl.
if this is going to work, you've got to keep current stuff out here, and put 'closed' files in there. the 'pendings' stay on my desk, okay?
jesus, santos.
leans forward, staring at what he just wrote. polly cocks her head and removes the phone from his ear.
polly, i want to know what water recreation is on for today.
where'd you hide the 'beach closed' signs?
call me later in the day, okay, harry?
get out of there – take these back to the office and make up some 'beach closed' signs, and let polly do the printing.
do i need any more authority?
now tell me something i don't know.
so we should set out a smorgasbord?
what else could've done that?
doctor, you're the one who told me what it was!
i was only reacting to what i was told.
i can't work in a vacuum. why don't you make hendricks chief? his family's been here since the puritans -- half this island are his cousins.
what?
how's the water?
ow. he's gotta be more careful in the water.
michael! sean! out of the water. everybody out of the water! michael! get out!
look, i've got to talk to her. this isn't a contest we want the whole country entering.
i'm responsible for public safety around here.
i'd like to tell you what we're doing so far. these are some of the steps i've taken as chief of police.
i'll get to that in a minute. first, i plan to start our seasonal summer help early, and to use shark spotters on beaches open to the sea. i'd like cooperation from local fishermen, and i've also contacted the oceanographic institute over on the mainland.
larry and i have also decided to close the beaches for a short time.
i didn't agree to that!
his reading glasses reflecting a stack of twelve library books, all on the subject of sharks and shark attacks. the door opens and ellen enters, quietly, in respect for brody's mood.
love a cup of tea. with lemon.
where is he?
son! -- out of the water now!
i want him out of the ocean.
michael! come inside!
i told him not to go out until he memorized the handbook and the safety safety regulations, until he was sure of himself.
that wasn't funny.
looks more like the readers of the national enquirer.
hey! you know how many men that's supposed to hold?
what you got ain't safe. you take some guys off or you don't go out.
you going out too, ben?
just back up! no, the other way! cut it to your left! your other left! the big boat, your front end is out way too far. little boat, stay still!
thanks.
if that's dynamite, give it here, or don't leave port.
hand it over.
you're tellin' me. i swear, this town has gone crazy.
who are you?
let's show mr. hooper our accident.
no, it was local jurisdiction.
no, we just checked the beach.
you did it! did ben gardner catch this?
larry, if you'd see these clowns leave, you'd never believe they'd come back with anything. but they got him!
sure he is.
matt hooper, the specialist they send down from the oceanographic institute.
what d'ya mean?
why not, larry? we could get a positive confirmation that way.
she's right.
i'm going home.
c'mere and give daddy a kiss.
because he needs it.
swell.
how come you have to tell them that?
let's all have a drink.
you too, sweetheart.
drowning. lemme ask you something. is it true most attacks take place in three feet of water, around 10 feet from the beach?
something else. do most attacks go unreported?
there's a kind of a lone shark, called, uh.
yeah. rogue. picks out an area where there's food and hangs out there as long as the food supply lasts?
and before 1900, when people first starting swimming for recreation, before public bathing and resorts, there were very few shark attacks, cause sharks didn't know what they were missing?
why don't we have one more drink, you and i, and then we go down and cut open that old shark and see for sure what's inside him, or not.
i am chief of police. i can do anything i want. you want to come?
what stinks so bad?
what's that?
what? what?!
how can you tell?
he ate a car?
what do we do?
chum?
what is all this stuff?
can you tell from that if a big man- eater is around?
where'd you get all this?
you're at the institute full time? or do you have a job?
we gotta get back soon.
hey!
what the hell?
that's ben gardner's boat! it's the flicka! ben? ben!
what happened?
don't they have lifejackets or something? an extra boat?
why don't we just tow it in?
be careful, for chrissake.
you all right?
no shark did that to a boat!
there is a kind of shark called a great white shark that every expert in the world agrees is a maneater.
there's no limits to where he can strike, and we've had three attacks and two deaths in the past few days. it happened like this before, in 1916, when a great white killed five swimmers at jones beach, in long island.
a 4th of july beach is like ringing a dinner bell, for chrissake!
we towed ben gardner's boat in, larry; he was dead and his boat was all chewed up.
he lost it on the way up.
we have got to close the beaches. we have got to get someone to kill the shark, we need non-corrosive mesh netting, we need scientific support.  it's gonna cost money just to keep the nuts out and save what we have.
that means closing the beaches.
wait a minute! i need you.
larry, we can re-open the beaches in august.
what is this?
i signed on the wrong line.
i want to thank you guys from local agencies for cooperating, and i hope we won't actually be needing your services. but i'm glad to have you here.
we're all on one channel, so let's keep radio traffic to a minimum, okay?
i wish it would rain.
i'm sorry, i just don't have the time.
hey mikey -- !
you're not going to the ocean with that, are you son?
do me this favor just once. use the ponds.
just a favor for your old man.
everybody out! out of the water, please -- leave the water, please --
no whistles! no whistles!
he's in shock. get blankets!
here -- take him home.
no. home here.
got a pen on you?
there's only one thing you're good for anymore -- signing a damn voucher. here. it's an authorization to employ a contractor.
i'm going to hire quint to kill the fish. i want to see that shark dead.
forget it. this summer's had it. next summer's had it. you're the mayor of shark city. you wanted to keep the beaches open. what happens when the town finds out about that?
the best interest in this town would be to see that fish belly-up in the water with a hole in his head. you do the right thing. you authorize me. right there. whatever it costs.
just sign it, larry.
this has got to be one big violation.
what?
i'm authorized by the township of amity to hire you as an independent contractor. we'll meet your price. $10,000.
you got it.
you got it.
you got it.
two cases. and dinner when you land.
this is matt hooper.
he's from the oceanographic institute.
hey. knock it off. i don't want to have to listen to this while we're out there.
it's my charter. my party.
you got it.
colorful, isn't he?
nothing to worry about -- i'll survive this.
yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.
tell 'em i went fishin'!
who's driving the boat?
why are we way out here, when the shark's back there?
you got it?
the wire's showing!
what's the point with hooks and lines? --
how -- if they're gonna keep on breaking?
what do we do? get some help? radio in?
how're we gonna handle this?
why don't we go in? get another crack at him tomorrow.
let's call in -- we can radio and have a big boat here in an hour.
c'mon. middle appendix --
what's that one, there?
what's that, a ship?
what the hell?
where?
the barrel!
shark! starboard!
that's it! radio in for help!
yeah, captain, as soon as i make a call.
some great idea! now where are we? some goddamn skipper you are. you're certifiable, y'know that? you're a real treat! certifiable! bananas!
did you get him in the head?
i can't stand here doing nothing!
what about us?
where'd he go?
have you ever had one do this?
there!
he's trying to sink us!
he's chasing us! i don't believe it.
you gotta go in the water.
he's taken him!
no.  (notices something
what day is this?
think the tide's with us?
y'know, i used to hate the water.