This pirate movie attempts to be a heroic spectacle while seemingly aiming for a younger audience. The story takes place in 1668 and involves a female pirate captain (Geena Davis) who buys an educated slave (Matthew Modine) so he can decipher a Latin treasure map and assist her and the crew in locating valuable riches on Cutthroat Island. Frank Langella portrays her villainous uncle, who is also pursuing the hidden treasure. “Cutthroat Island” (1995) is a pirate adventure reminiscent of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981); it even includes a cute monkey as a supporting character. It’s an enjoyable adventure with several good moments and impressive scenery, but it lacks the special quality that made “Raiders” so memorable. The film seems to strain for grand heroism, resulting in exaggerated action sequences—the escape from Port Royal features a series of about seven explosions among other absurd events. The overly dramatic musical score amplifies this problem, pushing the heroic tone to an almost sickening degree. Essentially, the movie feels like it’s trying too hard to appeal to children and doesn't have the assurance needed for a more mature, grounded approach. If you’re looking for a well-executed historical adventure of this type, “The Musketeer” (2001) is worth watching. The acting is generally solid, with Langella standing out as the villainous pirate while Modine delivers a surprisingly good performance as someone who becomes a hero. Some people criticize Geena Davis’s performance, suggesting she was not well-suited for the part, but she was the director's wife and willingly took on the challenge, largely succeeding. It’s hard to imagine anyone else could have done it better in 1994 when filming occurred; Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock are the only two who come to mind. Demi Moore might have been a possibility, but she didn't possess the same bright smile as the other three, particularly Geena’s wide grin. However, Davis and Modine would have benefited from a stronger script that developed their characters more fully. As it stands, they are merely adequate. Despite my complaints about the unbelievable and childish heroism, the movie is more realistic than any of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, likely because there’s no fantastical element involved. The film has a running time of 2 hours and 3 minutes and was filmed in Fort Ricasoli, Kalkara, Malta (Port Royal); Thailand (the island scenes); and England (studio). Regarding Thailand, it's obvious to anyone with even basic geographical knowledge that the movie wasn’t shot in the Caribbean but rather in Thailand. GRADE: C

Source on TMDB