Director: Renny Harlin / Writers: Robert King, Marc Norman / Story by: Michael Frost Beckner, James Gorman, Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon / Released by Studio Canal / 1995 / Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes
Review by Paul Dunne
22nd November 2023 (Released: 18th September 2023)
The Pitch: Feisty Morgan Adams (Geena Davis) inherits her late buccaneer father's galleon and one-third of a map to buried treasure located on Cutthroat Island. The map had been tattooed on her father's scalp, and to find the treasure, she must locate and scalp his two brothers. But Morgan's swashbuckling uncle, Dawg Brown (Frank Langella), wants the treasure for himself and does battle with his headstrong niece and her unwilling accomplice, Latin-speaking physician William Shaw (Matthew Modine).
THE FILM: Studio Canal's reissues of late have been a fascinating mix of solid hits, critical darlings, and outright flops, ripe for reappraisal. Cutthroat Island was a flop. There's just no getting around it. But is it time to reappraise it? What was the story behind its creation and eventual failure? Should we care? Well, thankfully, this release attempts to answer those questions with a 4K restoration of the film and a raft of new and archival extras.
Although the film isn't artless, the way so many 'franchise' films have become - there's far too much gorgeous production design for that - it does have a certain dramatic heft. And not in a good way. The main problem is that everyone seems to be acting from a slightly different draft of the script. In some ways, the film was ahead of its time. The script has Matthew Modine as the dandy thief, taking the damsel in distress role, whilst Geena Davis is the action hero. Sadly, the breathing room needed to give this any weight and to make meat of the fact that a woman pirate is driving the story is absent. The movie just hurtles - and often just clunks - along. It's this heffalump approach that extends to a lot of the action on screen, especially in the film's later stages. The battles don't flow as organically as they should, although they're plentiful in number and Harlin crates a feeling of real, using digital effects sparingly and making everything look like it took place on the day, in-camera, which judging from the bonus features, it did. One thing that strikes you, especially if you're a fan of modern, sea-faring films like Master & Commander, In The Heart Of The Sea, and even Pirates of The Caribbean, (which this film name-checked in the writer's original pitch to Disney) is that this could have been huge. It could - and should – have been Curse of The Black Pearl, but clearly came in too early. Had this been made post Ridley Scott's Gladiator then the potential for a hit could have been maximised.
And yet, the film does have its charms. It feels crafted and made and lacks the plastic, flat look that pervaded many films of the period. There is fun to be had, with the leads making their presence felt and memorable supporting players, particularly amongst the British cast. Frank Langella, playing the villain, finds the top and then goes right over it. Davis doesn't quite sell the lines, despite being an amazing physical presence on screen. She's a sparkling, effervescent performer, but as we go further into the history of the film, we learn that this was not the role she wanted to play. Modine enjoys himself, but can't quite overcome the amount of action scenes or all clutter the film seems to load each scene with. However, once you dive into the extras you begin to find out why this is the case. The restoration has been expertly done, offering a crisp, clean transfer and highlighting the film's colour palette well. Underneath the film you're presented with is the film that could have been given more optimal conditions. Regardless of my feelings about the finished work, it's great to see Studio Canal releasing films like this, that would otherwise risk being stricken from modern film knowledge.
THE EXTRAS: As with many of their releases this year, Studio Canal has put together an impressive array of both new and archival features that reveal the film’s troubled production.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
MAKING CUTTHROAT ISLAND
It's easy to assume, if you don't know the true story, that Renny Harlin was an out-of-control director, spending too much money just to create a vanity project for his then-wife, Geena Davis. However, this excellent documentary reveals nothing could be further from the truth. This doc delves into the problems with the film's making, initiated by Carolco's financial problems and then by Michael Douglas leaving the project. Indeed, we find out that Davis was never meant to be the film's lead, and would have been more comfortable playing a large supporting role, which she felt more ready for. In an emotional moment, Harlin recalls he and his wife crying together when they realised they would be unable to quit the film as doing so would open them up to lawsuits. A terrific doc that reveals to layers to the story behind the the story.
CHARTING A COURSE: CREATING CUTTHROAT ISLAND
An interview with the writers of the film, charting the course of its journey to the screen, and giving insight into the hoops writers must jump through to get their work seen and of course made.
ACROSS THE BOW: EDITING CUTTHROAT ISLAND
A terrific interview with one of the film's editors on the demands of cutting a major film and especially one that was under vast pressure from the financial end of the business.
SUMMON YOUR COURAGE: SCORING CUTTHROAT ISLAND
An excellent interview with Composer John Debney, who discusses his hiring and the challenges of scoring a film the likes of which hadn't been made in over a decade.
ECCE PIRATE - A SHORT FILM BY MATTHEW MODINE (WITH OPTIONAL COMMENTARY)
COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR RENNY HARLIN
Harlin’s commentary is neither reserved nor full of gossip or anger at Michel Douglas and Carolco, the studio behind the film who pressured both he and Davis into making the film. He talks fondly about the cast and crew whilst divulging excellent behind the scenes info.
MAKING OF
This is an archival featurette filmed during the film's original making.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Archival B-Roll footage from the set, shot during the film's making.
STORYBOARDS
Storyboard comparisons with shots from the film.
INTERVIEWS
Archival interviews with the cast and crew, shot during the film's making.
ORIGINAL TRAILER
Cutthroat Island is available on 4K and Blu-Ray now.
