Cutthroat Island (1995)

Written by talisencrw on May 20, 2016

Not as bad as it's notoriously condemned as being, but still clearly shows that both leads and the director were ill-advised (you know very well that if you were getting Harlin at that point in time, you were getting Davis--that's exactly why she probably married him). She brings her A-game and definitely tries her best but this just isn't her thing, and Modine's clearly not blockbuster star material for action films. A few of Harlin's set-pieces worked particularly well, but he pandered too much for his wife. That can work if you're, say, the Rossellinis and you're filming a drama set in Italy, but it's not working here, though I'll adore Davis to my dying day. I will add that this is my 13 year-old son's favourite films. Very curious if they would have made sequels had it not bombed--the ending sure was open-ended enough to give off that impression.

This is one film that if you just sit back and enjoy the ride will offer you a guilty pleasure. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoy popcorn films or have children. Not as enjoyable as the first two 'Pirates of the Caribbean' releases, but better than their subsequent sequels.