Robinson Crusoe

Released: 1997

Reviewed: 12.24.09
Star rating: 3 out of 5

Pierce Brosnan (Robinson Crusoe), William Takaku (Friday), Polly Walker (Mary), Ian Hart (Daniel Defoe), James Frain (Robert), Damian Lewis (Patrick).

Robin has the worst luck. Having to kill his friend in a duel over the woman he has loved since he was a child he has to escape his homeland on a cargo ship. The ship then crashes during a storm leaving Robin stranded on a deserted island. As he tries to survive, natives from a neighboring island arrive to practice human sacrifice and he ends up befriending one of them.

I don't do comparisons to either other films or books so if that is what you want, move along.

This one kicks off in the english countryside with some good background and character development before moving to the water for an adventureous boat ride. From then we see Robin on a beautiful island where he manages to build a lovely home. When natives from a nearby island show up Robin is exposed to a religion he has never seen which apparently renews his faith in his own. After befriending one of the natives the story gets a bit more interesting right up to the happily ever after type ending.

Acting was decent with Brosnan putting forth and acceptable performance. Takaku also did nicely and seemed to fit his role well. The rest of the supporting cast also did a good, if brief, job. Camera work, sets and backgrounds were all well done and helped set the film tone. Dialogue and sound were also well done and the film seemed to have the needed budget.

Overall this was a nicely done action adventure flick that represented the story as I remember it pretty well. There wasn't a lot of fluff here, just a simple story with simple performances. I think if you want a recreation of the book you better skip this one but if you just like the story, check it out. With mild violence and brief sensuality this should be fine for preens and above.