Today’s quick review: Cutthroat Island. After her father is killed by his brother Dawg (Frank Langella), the infamous pirate Morgan Adams (Geena Davis) sets out to collect the three pieces of her father’s treasure map. To read the map, she’ll need the help of William Shaw (Matthew Modine), a charming thief. But with both Dawg and the army hot on her heels, Morgan will have her work cut out for her making it to Cutthroat Island and its fortune in Spanish gold.
Cutthroat Island is a pirate adventure movie set in colonial Jamaica in 1688. Featuring a decent plot, a good amount of action, and an involved soundtrack, Cutthroat Island nonetheless falls short of its potential. The movie has its sights set in the right place, but rather than the dashing adventure it was meant to be, it only manages to be a bland, passable pirate tale without much to set it apart.
Cutthroat Island suffers from minor but pervasive problems with its execution. The dialogue is mediocre at best, a product of poor writing and flat delivery. There is little that is outright cringeworthy, but there are enough weak lines that any immersion is quickly broken. Though plentiful and exciting, its action comes across as clumsy in key places, particularly when main characters are involved.
Neither Geena Davis nor Matthew Modine are charismatic enough to pull off their swashbuckling roles with sincerity. Their performances never quite click, and what should be two strong leads to tie the movie together are simply subpar. The rest of the cast has similar problems, never quite achieving the seamless performances necessary for fiction. None of the film’s problems are glaring, but taken together, they hamper what could have been a fun popcorn adventure.
Watch Cutthroat Island only if you are looking for a pirate film and are willing to brave mediocre writing and acting to get one. Between its plot and its action, Cutthroat Island has enough going on to be watchable, but it is badly outclassed by other, similar movies. For a much more polished pirate movie with a fantasy twist, check out Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. For a comedy adventure with romantic elements, check out The Princess Bride.
5.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for decent adventure components held back by poor execution.