[Inspector Abberline]

The Island (1980)

We all remember that period in Michael Caine's career where he seemed to be in every film made during the late 1970's to mid 1980's,from fighting killer Bee's in The Swarm to cross dressing in Dressed To Kill and helping Pele Escape to Victory he seemed to be every where.In The Island Caine yet again doesn't bother changing his accent and plays journalist Blair Maynard who takes his gun loving son Jeffrey Frank as Justin Maynard to the Bermuda Triangle of the Caribbean. to investigate several missing boats. What he finds is a bunch of British television actors lead by David Warner playing pirates and robbing rich holiday makers while there out on fishing trips.Caine is well,Caine,there was a period when he gave up acting and just seemed to play himself in what ever film he was in,luckily his considerable acting talents are not particularly strained in The Island. Based on a Peter Benchly novel The Island starts off rather well with a group of fishermen having there boat hijacked and getting an axe squarely in the face.Unfortunately that initial scary set piece is few and far between and once Caine's character is kidnapped and turned into Angela Punch McGregor ( Beth ) personnel sex slave ,the film does falter with Caine seemingly unable to muster the energy to escape or act . But the film does pick up pace later on as the pirates go about doing things that pirates do,ie attack passing ships and boats and make off with there ill gotten gains. The island unfortunately does not live up to its rather marvelous cinema poster with its knife clutching hand coming out of the sea,but to be fair Caine is always watchable and does have some cracking lines of dialogue and towards the end it does go all a bit Wild Bunch with Caine machine gunning down his opponents,not exactly required viewing but interesting entry in man who would be king career.