On C List of Movie Reviews

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Cutthroat Island (1995)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/03, 3/25

3/25: I saw Cutthroat Island at a theatre and didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until many years later that I learned the film was one of the biggest box-office bombs ever. So, does it actually suck? I'll say no. It's just average for the most part despite being consistently saved by the cinematography. Throughout, two things bothered me: the heroine and the absurd moments.

I don't want to denigrate Geena Davis because she has done an excellent job of performing stunts. But creating an action-adventure star out of a female is one of the toughest accomplishments in Hollywood. It's hard to believe Geena Davis having the strength to dispatch men. Whenever she's in a situation that should've killed or paralyzed her, she always makes out and moves on without repercussions. A couple of examples are falling down through the scaffolding with Matthew Modine and landing on her back on the table after a two-story fall.

For the finale, I don't understand why the ship holding the gold had to be bombed. Why do that when killing or throwing off all the men will suffice? Now, the ship has sunk, and that means the gold will be somewhere between 100 and 1,000 feet underwater. How is anyone going to dive, get the gold, and come back up safely? Impossible, and the treasure magically appears on the other ship. Earlier, why does Morgan Adams need to pay forty pounds to acquire Shaw so he can "translate" the Latin text? Many people of the time are able to do that which should cost substantially less.

All in all, Cutthroat Island proves that a "female action star" is an oxymoron.

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