Cutthroat Island (1995)

Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella

Synopsis:
The daughter of a pirate captain battles her ruthless uncle over the family treasure.

Impressions:
This film is an infamous box office bomb that didn't do any favors for pirate films or Geena Davis' film career (or her marriage to director Renny Harlin, who apparently couldn't swing Paul WS Anderson's knack for wifesploitation). At the time, I didn't think it was that bad, but giving it a second look... ugh. The only one in the cast who's making the most of it is Frank Langella as Dawg (and his performance alone is nearly enough reason to give it a watch). Davis can be a decent actress, but she's just phoning it in here for the most part. Not what you need in your lead actress. I guess Matthew Modine is pretty good as the wily William. The costuming and sets are pretty solid and the set pieces are okay. For a fun exercise, watch this along with the first Pirates of the Caribbean to really highlight what doesn't work here. For the most part, I'd advise you to pass on it, but there's just narrowly enough going on here that you might, might consider giving it a watch.

Rating:
50/50