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.

---

Plot Keywords:

treasure | pirate | latin | treasure map | pirate ship | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

---

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:

$4,381,000, 24 December 1995, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$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

Matthew Modine was hit on the head by a falling barrel during the tavern escape - the shot was kept in the film.

---

Goofs

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

---

Quotes

[Morgan has blown the hull of Dawg's Ship during the final battle]
Glasspoole: [excitedly] Morgan has done it! AAAAAHHHH!
[Glasspoole kills the pirate he's fighting off. To his fellow crewmates]
Glasspoole: LOOSE! CUT US LOOSE!

---

Alternate Versions

To receive a PG certificate the UK cinema version was cut by 72 seconds, with a further 4 seconds of cuts for home video. These changes included numerous edits to fight scenes, Morgan's breast being caressed during a body search, neck and arm breaks, a head butt and kicks to bodies. Almost all the impact sounds in the major fight scenes were also reduced or removed from the soundtrack. A similarly-edited pre-cut version was submitted to the BBFC in 2003 for DVD release by Momentum Pictures, which restored some of the original edits and sound effects but was still cut by an additional one second to obtain a PG rating under then-BBFC policy.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Dead Man Walking/Cutthroat Island/Sudden Death/Grumpier Old Men/Restoration/Waiting to Exhale (1995)

User Reviews

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.