Cutthroat Island (1995)

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

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Michael Frost Beckner (story), James Gorman (story)

Stars:

Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella

1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

Morgan Adams and her slave, William Shaw, are on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by her murderous uncle, Dawg. Her crew is skeptical of her leadership abilities, so she must complete her quest before they mutiny against her. This is made yet more difficult by the efforts of the British crown to end her piratical raids.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | pirate | treasure map | pirate ship | sword fight | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

France Italy Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

La pirata

Filming Locations:

Fort Ricasoli, Kalkara, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$98,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,371,415, 25 December 1995

Gross USA:

$10,017,322

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,017,322

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beckner/Gorman Productions, Canal+, Carolco Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the time, Renny Harlin was dating Geena Davis, who was known for light comedies. He convinced Mario Kassar to cast Davis as the lead, sure it would turn her into an action-adventure star. The couple married prior to production, and affectionately called the movie their 'honeymoon'.

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Goofs

When Shaw kisses Morgan after the operation, he clearly topples the bottle of rum. The sound of the bottle falling never comes. Next shot, after interruption, Morgan is grabbing the bottle while sitting up.

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Quotes

William: Congratulations, madam. There's another town you've destroyed.

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Alternate Versions

The R2 DVD differs from the VHS cut in several ways with some scenes being put back in and yet some still left badly cut...

• Before leaving the room in the opening scene, Morgan tells the man she's just seduced: "I got your balls."
• Morgan pushes the eyepatched guard off a balcony saying "I promised I'd take care of you later", paying off a line earlier that never made sense without both scenes.
• When the chain wraps around Morgan's neck in the tavern she is now pulled off backwards in a bad CGI shot that shows her landing on a table below.
• More fighting scenes, more slashing of bellies.
• When Dawg shoots his own crew member ("We need less mouths") it's obvious this still remains badly cut as the gunshot cuts off abruptly and we don't see the man taking the bullet.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinematic Excrement: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (2019)

User Reviews

Amazon Mistress

To appreciate this film you have to:

-- Have Geena's role as Louise firmly planted in your mind, which is the case for moderately serious moviewatchers

-- Appreciate the valentine that this is from her husband -- who would go even further later

-- Live in a post-feminist mind that appreciates a woman in a man's role but secretly relishes when she is sexy, and rationalize it because she has a high IQ

-- Know that this woman did many of her own stunts at nearly 40

-- Be aware that pirating was all about sex not gold

-- Spent a fair amount of your youthful imagination with 'Treasure Island' inspired fantasies.

If so, you don't care that this movie is as bad as, say the "Jurassic Park" stuff, and for much the same reason. You just don't care.