2. Russell Franklin - Deep Blue Sea (1999)
The second entry in our shark gallery of iconic deaths comes from Samuel L 'Snakes on a Plane' Jackson, a man who is no stranger to the cheesy animal/horror hybrid film. Long before he took to the skies he took to the seas in 1999's 'Deep Blue Sea'. From early on Russell Franklin appeared as the hero of the film, intelligent, rugged and a bit of a bad-ass. As the body count climbs in an underwater facility the group tries to outsmart a group of super intelligent sharks. Whilst giving a truly empowering speech Jackson is snatched from the screen as little more than a tasty shark bite. Originally Jackson was supposed to play the role of facility chef Sherman, (eventually played by LL Cool J), they wanted him so much in the film they specifically created the role of Russell Franklin. However exploding helicopters and even Samuel himself can't save the film from a bargain bin DVD markdown. LL Cool J and a wisecracking parrot make 'Deep Blue Sea' into a live action Disney version of 'Aladdin'. What makes the film even worse is the acting of Saffron Burrows- it is hard to warm to a film when the main character is colder than the water she is acting in. Despite this, 'Deep Blue Sea' received critical acclaim from horror legend Stephen King, the first film he saw after being in a serious accident. King claims he
'loved every minute'...perhaps it was the concussion.