The Island * (1980, Michael Caine, David Warner, Angela Punch McGregor, Frank Middlemass) – Classic Movie Review 5548

The Jaws writer Peter Benchley adapts his own novel and comes back together with the Jaws producers Richard D Zanuck and David Brown for a movie they would no doubt rather forget.

Probably Michael Caine isn’t too delighted either at the memory of Michael Ritchie’s preposterous 1980 action adventure chiller in which Caine plays New York journalist Blair Maynard who sets off with his son Justin (Jeffrey Frank) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle. But their plane crashes on a Caribbean island, though they survive, only to be chased and captured by a crazed gang of locals descended from pirates, under the command of John David Nau (David Warner).

A would-be entertaining Eighties modern-day big-budget escapist adventure is largely negated by writer Benchley’s inability to make it fun and the need to resort to much sadistic violence.

Also in the cast are Angela Punch McGregor, Frank Middlemass, Don Henderson, Zakes Mokae, Dudley Sutton and Colin Jeavons.

A classy, expensive production includes Technicolor cinematography by Henri Decaë (1915–1987), a score by Ennio Morricone and production designs by Dale Hennesy.

On a budget of $22 million, it grossed only $10 million in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5548

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