Terminal Island

1973 "Men and Women... Black and White. Taken From Death Row - Condemned to Devil's Island, U.S.A., Where Living is Worse Than Dying!"
5.3| 1h28m| R| en
Details

In the wake of a Supreme Court decision to outlaw the death penalty, California passes an initiative that designates San Bruno island as a dumping spot for first-degree murder convicts, free to do what they like except leave. The main camp of convicts is controlled by the tyrannical Bobby, who rules with an iron hand, and the women are used as sex slaves. A.J. and a group of more free-minded murderers have escaped and gone into hiding. When A.J. and his men liberate the women from Bobby's custody, tensions mount to an all-out confrontation for control of the island.

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Also starring Ena Hartman

Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Ed-Shullivan Okay so this film is not Lord of the Flies caliber and it will never be included in the Criterion Collection, but I will give credit to female director Stephanie Rothman for her fortitude for completing this action/drama/thriller that includes a few female characters that are not total bimbos. Director Rothman does follow the action themed "good guys versus bad guys" and yes the women in this film are exploited both physically and mentally but the difference is sometimes in Ms. Rothman's film the girls get the better of the hardened criminal men and I did find myself rooting for the women.The film starts off rather slow as we are introduced to a broadcast news crew who want to do a news story on this new law discipline that sends like-minded convicted murderers on to an island to fend for themselves, and to fend off one another mainly to survive. Thus the film title Terminal Island would indicate that as a convicted criminal murderer your days are numbered once you land on Terminal Island.Yes it has that typical '70's era dull cinematography feel, a pretty redundant music score but it also has one known star for the time in Don Marshall (known for TV's Land of the Giants) as well as some up and comer TV actors such as Phyllis Davis, Roger E. Mosley, and the well known now geriatric actor Tom Selleck, who back in 1973 was a TV commercial male model hunk looking for his first big break. No doubt, Terminal Island gave Tom Selleck the break that he needed to become a bona fide television star in first Magnum P.I. for 8 seasons along side Roger E Mosley who played TC. More recently Tom Selleck has been starring in the highly rated prime time TV police series Blue Bloods for the past 7 seasons. So Terminal Island was recognized by the astute TV producers that there is some good talent coming out of Terminal Island that was well worth pursuing.I liked Terminal Island because it deliberately stayed clear of overdoing any sex and gore and tried to execute a film with a pretty good plot that was both creative and not easy to execute on a small budget for a B movie at best. So yes, it is worth watching and I will say that I did enjoy it. Maybe you will too?I give it a 7 out of 10 rating
jonathan-577 After the Supreme Court outlaws the death penalty, California circumvents the ruling by sending murderers to a secluded island, where they are declared 'legally dead' and expected to kill each other off. Four intrepid ladies spend some miserable time in the hierarchical sexist work camp on one side of the island, then run off to join the liberated comrades on the other side. There's some pretty big statements waiting to happen in there, and they come through loud 'n' brassy, but they are made in the firm confines of a rockin' 70s drive-in action movie. This is a co-ed prison flick on a cheaper set, with a great bunch of weirdo characters floating around and future Magnum P. I. cast members sweetening the pot. Smart and well made too.
mchlanda-1 This movie was fine, great, if you're a Tom Selleck fan. Personally, I like Phyllis Davis (who starred later in "Vegas" with the late Robert Urich). The "DVD" version; which is available from Canada, produced by Legacy Entertainment, is a "ripoff" (if you'll pardon an old slang word). It is cut for language, and other material, featuring Ms. Davis, and another actress (separate scenes, not together), involving nudity. I know, because a) I have a book called "The Bare Facts" by Craig Hosada, which reviews these scenes. b.) I have a tape called Famous T & A, I'm not making it up, which features an uncut/uncensored excerpt from the movie which shows what was cut. I am getting a VHS, used, from another place, from a different manufacturer, and hoping it hasn't been "cut". Although rated "R" originally, and even though it says it's been edited (which I didn't look to see, until after I viewed the movie; which if I had done, I'd have returned it) I feel I was cheated. So, this is a warning to any potential buyers. If editing doesn't bother you, then, by all means, buy it. In fact, I'm trying to resell my copy, as it was played once.
David Goudsward Remember Escape From New York? Eight years previously, in 1973, Terminal Island did the exact same idea. Not nearly as well, but hey - being first count for something, too! TI is an exploitation film when being an exploitation film was cool. As such, it has certain shortcoming inherent to the genre, such as street talking tough black guy, the psychotic white chauvinist pig, and the heroic woman, overcoming oppression with sagacity and perserverence. I can live with those stereotypes, but I can't bear the background music leftover from a 1970's porn movie!Marta Kristen finally gets to play the part of an action hero - quite a leap from the laid back Judy Robinson role she is best known for. She fights and blows things up and knows how to create gunpowder from nature. Very cool.