Cutthroat Island

Right now you can watch Cutthroat Island in the US on The CW and Fawesome, and in the UK on Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel and Channel 4 Plus — and it moves faster than most of the genre's competition. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 627 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Geena Davis anchors the chaos with real screen presence. Put it on tonight on The CW and see for yourself.

Cutthroat Island is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Cutthroat Island understands that stakes only matter if you care who is at risk. Morgan Adams and her slave, William Shaw, are on a quest to recover the three portions of a treasure map. Unfortunately, the final portion is held by her murderous uncle, Dawg. Her crew is skeptical of her leadership abilities, so she must complete her quest before they mutiny against her. Geena Davis and Matthew Modine lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1995. What separates Cutthroat Island from disposable action entertainment is character work that survives the explosions. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

The genre has a long history of front-loading its best moments — Cutthroat Island is not one of those. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Geena Davis brings a physicality to the role that elevates every set piece. Action that earns its sequences rather than just delivering them.