Cutthroat Island (1995)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers (WGA):

Michael Frost Beckner (story) &
James Gorman (story) ...

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Romance

Tagline:

The Course Has Been Set. There Is No Turning Back. Prepare Your Weapons. Summon Your Courage. Discover the Adventure of a Lifetime!

Plot:

A female pirate and her companion race against their rivals to find a hidden island that contains a fabulous treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Treasure | Slave | Pirate | Pirate Ship | Ship Wreck

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Geena Davis	...	Morgan
Matthew Modine	...	Shaw
Frank Langella	...	Dawg
Maury Chaykin	...	John Reed
Patrick Malahide	...	Ainslee
Stan Shaw	...	Glasspoole
Rex Linn	...	Mr. Blair
Paul Dillon	...	Snelgrave
Christopher Masterson	...	Bowen (as Chris Masterson)
Jimmie F. Skaggs	...	Scully
Harris Yulin	...	Black Harry
Carl Chase	...	Bishop
Peter Geeves	...	Fiddler Pirate
Angus Wright	...	Captain Trotter
Ken Bones	...	Toussant

Also Known As:

Corsari (Italy)
Die Piratenbraut (Germany)
L'île aux pirates (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong pirate action/violence and brief sensuality.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | France | Italy | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #34180) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:PG | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Italy:T | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (cut)

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Beckner/Gorman Productions

Trivia:

One of the photography directors broke his leg falling off a crane.

Goofs:

Continuity: Two battleships fire many broadsides at each other (some hitting), but during the boarding scene no damage is visible.

Quotes:

Morgan: They're backwards.
William: I assure you ma'am, they're normal in every respect.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999) (VG)

A Fun Movie....But TOO Much Action

Despite being fun to watch and very entertaining, this is not a film that draws me back for many viewings. Maybe it's too absurd: a beautiful woman pirate "Morgan Adams" (Geena Davis) punching everyone out at every turn can get a ridiculous and tiresome after awhile. It just an excess of everything, almost cartoon-like.

If you haven't had enough action in first hour (and you do), the last half really goes crazy with a non-stop battle scene that goes on and on and on.

Nevertheless, there are some good things to watch in here besides Davis and her pretty face. the movie was filmed in Malta and in Thailand and features some beautiful island photography. The ship is magnificent and when two ships are side-by-side firing cannons at one another, it's an awesome sight and even more awesome sound. You really need to watch this with a good stereo system to appreciate the great audio work in here.

Frank Langella also makes for an interestingly effective villain ("Dawg Brown") while Matthew Modine ("William Shaw") chips in with a co-star and male companion for the good guy, er good girl , Davis character.