Cutthroat Island (1995)

In 1868 Jamaica, a female pirate (Geena Davis) has 1/3 of a map that leads to the location of a large treasure. The other 2/3 of the map are held by her uncles (Frank Langella, George Murcell) but the vicious Dawg (Langella) has no intention of sharing the treasure with anyone. Directed by Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2), the film is one of the most notorious flops of the 1990s earning bad reviews and losing over $100 million dollars. The film is a tongue in cheek pirate adventure but there's not a trace of wit in the entire screenplay (which underwent several rewrites). It's bombastic and overblown and lacks the entertainment value of the more modestly budgeted SWASHBUCKLER (1977) which accomplishes pretty much the same thing. The film pretty much damaged Davis's (who was on a hot streak) career and poor Matthew Modine is no one's idea of a swashbuckling hero. The film looks great with Malta and Thailand standing in for the Caribbean and John Debney's lively score makes the film seem more grand than it is. While I don't think the film is as bad as its reputation would suggest, less is more should have been the film maker's motto. With Harris Yulin, Maury Chaykin, Stan Shaw, Rex Linn and Mary Peach.