Cutthroat Island (1995)
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella, Harris Yulin
Primary genre: Adventure
Secondary genre: Swashbuckling
Back in 1995, Harlin (Die Hard 2 (1990), Cliffhanger (1993)) believed women can and should be great action heroes. Despite a few exceptions in the late 80’s and early 90’s, there was not a particular break out in mainstream cinema, especially Hollywood. Championing admirably for (his then wife) Geena Davis, Harlin convinced Carolco Pictures to give him 90 million dollars (!) to stage a pirate flick unlike anything we had seen before in a time where the genre was dead in the water. Unfortunately for him, the film was the biggest box office bomb of all time. But time has been extra kind to Harlin’s effort.
“Morgan... In sweet memory of you bouncing on my knee as a little girl... I’ll give you one chance of me stealing your daddy’s piece of the map.”
Cutthroat Island does not attempt to reinvigorate (or pretend to do so) pirates movies the same way Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) did eight years later nor does it aim to be particularly deep in is presenting story. Instead it fully embraces the swashbuckling adventure spirit of those motion pictures with all of their tropes and cliches (e.g., walking the plunk, sea storms, hangings from the mast, snobbish Englishmen, tavern swordfights) while simultaneously offering a grand, luxurious, and gender swapped presentation with sharply drawn archetypes of heroes and villains.
The screenwriters in all fairness attempt to add a few interesting dynamics; uneasy alliances and double crossings are a regular thing in this hidden treasure hunt since no one is a man (or a woman) of their word. In a nice twist, Geena Davis’ pirate lady Morgan is going toe to toe with her ruthless (also pirate) uncle Dawg (played by an gleeful and OTT Langella) and the British naval forces led by a delightfully deadpan Patrick Malahide. However, despite the villains’ limited and entertaining theatrics, the main problem here is the complete lack of chemistry between the two leads. Oscar winner Davis is convincing in her fight scenes (in her tall and athletic figure) with a commanding presence, yet she lacks the pathos of an Ellen Ripley to fully pull this off. Modine on the other hand - a last minute replacement of Michael Douglas - on the other hand seems to belongs in a different movie and its their scenes together that grind the story to a halt since you never understand why these two fall for each other in the first place.
What it lacks in the chemistry department though, Cutthroat Island makes up for it with visual flair of extraordinary magnitude. Harlin recreates the 17th century in exquisite detail with incredible production and costume design which brings to life villas, ships, treasure caves, prisons, and the entire Port Royal complemented by the luscious cinematography of Peter Levy (Broken Arrow (1996)) that embraces sweeping exotic locations (Thailand dubbing for the Caribbean) and stunning sunsets. Continuing to demonstrate his skill in crafting a gonzo and spectacular pyrotechnic-wise extravaganza in a period setting, Harlin stages novel and complex action sequences under exceptional stuntwork and very loud sound design (those canons!) deserving the price of the admission alone: a chase that sees people, horses, and the canons of an entire ship attempting to stop a carriage rivals any modern Michael Bay sequence while the climatic sea battle is how John Woo would look like on water.
While for some, Cutthroat Island might feels an excuse for the Swedish director to overindulge in action with all the yars! and ahoys! of the world, its biggest triumph remains the timeless and thunderous musical compositions of John Debney (End of Days (1999), Passion of the Christ (2004)). Considered by many as one of the best scores of all time, Debney’s debut work relies heavily on a traditional orchestra with a heavy choir that gives the flick an unstoppable momentum in its central theme populated by a nicely written lyrical tone against a brash, and sweeping sentiment for the film’s highly energetic sequences.
Cutthroat Island sees an action maestro at peak form delivering a by today’s standards woke swashbuckling adventure on a grandiose scale. While Davis and Modine don’t have that cinematic spark, it is hard to deny the film’s pure entertainment value and insistence on old school filmmaking. Watch this on a huge screen and a massive surround system.
A pirate extravaganza with explosions…lots of explosions
+John Debney’s career defining score
+Amazing production/costume design
+Sound effects!
+Beautiful cinematography and vistas
+Large scale action sequences and stunts
+Interesting dynamic between hero and villain
+Davis is physically convincing…
-But emotionally not
-Lack of chemistry between the main leads