| The Island | |
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promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Michael Ritchie |
| Produced by | David Brown Richard D. Zanuck |
| Written by | Peter Benchley |
| Starring | Michael Caine David Warner Angela Punch McGregor Frank Middlemass Don Henderson Dudley Sutton Colin Jeavons Zakes Mokae Brad Sullivan Jeffrey Frank Susan Bredhoff |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 13, 1980 |
| Running time | 114 min. |
| Budget | $22,000,000 |
| Box office | $15,716,828 (USA) |
The Island is a 1980 American thriller film, directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Michael Caine and David Warner. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley who also wrote the screenplay. It was about a brutal and savage ancient race of Spanish pirates, made up of outcasts, thieves, and murderers, who are hidden from the outside world by an uncharted Caribbean island, who raid boats to sustain themselves.
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A centuries old, unknown colony of savage Spanish pirates, thought to have died out long ago, have survived by living on an uncharted Caribbean island. The group, largely inbred and illiterate, sustain themselves by raiding pleasure boats. Michael Caine plays a New York journalist named Blair Maynard who comes to the area with his son to investigate why so many boats disappear. He and his son are captured, but they are both kept alive due to a false assumption regarding their lineage and a need to offset the negative effects of inbreeding. Blair is used to impregnate a female (Angela Punch Mcgregor) and act as a scribe for the group, while his son is brainwashed to become a surrogate heir to the pirate leader (David Warner).
The pirates are confronted by a US Coast Guard ship, but manage to overpower the crew and take over the vessel. Maynard sneaks aboard and, while the pirates are looting the ship, discovers a M2 machine gun, Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun. He uses the fully automatic weapon to kill all of the pirates and save his son.
Reviews were generally very negative, and the film performed poorly at the box office despite a large $22 million budget and highly regarded director. However, since then it has gained a cult following among Michael Caine and Peter Benchley fans for its unique plot and screenplay, which has twists and scenes which some consider shocking.
The United States Coast Guard cutter Dauntless stands in for the fictitious USCGC New Hope in the movie.
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