Cutthroat Island (1995)

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.

Fmovies: I almost didn't pick this up because I was sure it was a spin-off of Pirates of the Caribbean, but I was wrong. In actuality it was made before that movie and despite first appearances it can stand on its own. It's also Geena Davis, the gal that I associate with comedy-romance movies, the mushy and touchy-feely kind of movie that generally bore me. It's not that I can't appreciate a good comedy-romance, I just need to be in a certain kind of mood to watch those kinds of movies. But you know that Geena Davis is a brilliant actress and I loved her in The Long Kiss Goodnight with Samuel Jackson so I was glad I saw it. I wasn't disappointed as the swash buckling Morgan Adams and Matthew Modine steal my heart early on and I started rooting for the pirates on the edge of my seat. They were trying to piece together 3 pieces of a map to find an uncharted island that holds a rich pirate treasure hidden in it. The story is engaging, the action is good, great sound, and outstanding performances from the cast.

This movie is one of the best pirate movies ever filmed....and how many pirate movies boast a FEMALE captain too? Cutthroat Island is a sparkling Gem among pirate movies, yet the bad reviews and the even worse response in the cinemas when it hit the theatres is mystifying!! Such cutthroat criticism from movie critics and theatre-goers at the time have fired me up to defend this entertaining film with this review.

What was the matter with theater goers ? An action-packed adventure in exotic locations, perfumed by a superlative soundtrack by John Debney, and splashed with humorous scenes across the movie....what more could the average film-goer ask for? I was enthralled from the first minutes...captivated by the powerfully rhythmic music and Geena Davis galloping on horseback across a stretch of water, that made her seem she was actually "racing on water" on a horse! Geena Davis never looked better and director Renny Harlin has never made a more action packed film since Cutthroat Island or after!

I've seen worse movies with higher-ratings and record box-office hits....and which in my opinion were inferior to Cutthroat Island...if not outright rubbish! It's a crying shame that it was considered a flop....a fate it never deserved. And even sadder is the fact that Carolco Pictures was sunk along with it!! Don't take my word for it. Check this gem out yourself, and find out firsthand if Geena Davis is the sexiest pirate captain you ever feasted your eyes on.

Cutthroat Island fmovies. This is certainly a controversial film, with some who dislike it. And one also cannot ignore that the film has lost a lot of money. However, I was one that actually enjoyed the film - a lot. It was a good film for me to just simply "enjoy". And that is one great reason for watching movies in the first place.

I did like Geena Davis in the main role. In fact, the two roles that I liked her the best in were Cutthroat Island and Last Kiss Goodnight. I would have loved to see her do more of these action type roles. She is certainly good in other roles, but I prefer her in the action roles such as this one.

I was indeed surprised when visiting the Guiness Records building in Hollywood California, and learning that this movie was the largest box office loss. My feelings on learning that were "but, I liked it".

Who says women can't be good pirates? Being a woman certainly doesn't stop Morgan Adams (Geena Davis) from plundering and "manning" the high seas. Sure, she's a bit incredible at first, but this movie is more about the classic treasure-hunt adventures of Robert Louis Stevenson than any life realities. Just look at the success of Pirates of the Caribbean! At least this movie is far more realistic than that, without any curses and such and...sadly, without the prizewinning role played by Depp.

Davis does manage to lend credence to the part of a strong woman who still maintains some rules and beliefs in her pirating. She is the daughter of a pirate captain. Her father is murdered by her uncle, Dawg (Frank Langella), in his search for a mysterious treasure. Apparently, several of the family members each carried a piece of the map to this treasure but none of them wanted to share it and thus, it has remained unfound. Morgan begins a journey to get that which is rightfully her's and her shipmates, all while being pursued by the British navy, her uncle, and amorously pursued by a professional thief, William Shaw (Matthew Modine). Cutthroat Island is a new tale of a pirate classic! 8/10

I bought this on DVD not having heard of it or read any reviews so I watched it with an open mind. It is for me a good, fun to watch, action movie which entertained me - so I don't care if it wasn't (or ever will be) Oscar material - it just entertained me and that is why I watch films. The locations used in the film are first class as are the costumes. The fact that many of the stunts in the film were performed by the actors and not stunt doubles seems to add an immediacy and credibility to the film. There is what I would call "non-nasty" violence in the film (think of the A-Team) and occasional language which although again not really nasty, could deter parents from allowing the younger members of the family from sitting down and watching this as a kind of family matinée film.