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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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
I can't believe all the reviews that are so positive about this terrible movie. The only interesting aspect is that it stars a young Tom Selleck. There's gratuitous nudity, unconvincing gore and 'action' sequences which are laughable. The story is stale with a plot that has been reworked many times. There's nothing new or worthwhile to recommend this movie. There's no tension to be found in the story. It has a very unrealistic premise and ending. There's also a real misogynistic theme in this movie as the women are nothing more than 'ass' for the men to share. And while the men are all scruffy and dirty, the women are perfectly coiffed with their breasts spilling out of their ill-fitting clothes. I guess if you're a 12-year-old boy, you might get your jollies from this insipid movie but anyone with an IQ over 100 will be bored by this POS.
TITLE: TERMINAL ISLAND opened in theaters on 6/1/1973 Runtime: 88 MinutesSTARRING: Phyllis Davis as Joy, Barbara Leigh as Bunny, Ena Hartman as Carmen, Marta Kristen as Lee, Don Marshall as AJ, Tom Selleck as Dr. Milford and Sean Kenney as Bobby. SUMMARY: The movie opens with a TV station going back three ago when 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. Carmen is sentences to Terminal Island for murder. When she gets there, Dr Milford greets her. Carmen Spends the night on the beach near a warm fire. The next morning Carmen starts to head inland when she comes across the camp. When Carmen reaches, camp Bobby tells Monk to break her in. After Carmen is broken in the hard way she is assign a cabin. The next day Carmen and another woman inmate are seen pulling a plow. Joy goes to get a drink and it turns into a fight between two male inmates. The tyrannical Bobby, who rules with an iron hand and the women are used as sex slaves, controls the main camp of convicts. The girls are force to help build a wall. That evening Joy is trying to clean up Carmen hands when Monk comes into their cabin and tells them all that there working the night shift. The next day the men are standing line getting ready to be served by the women food. Bunny who's Bobby personal slave gets Bobby and Monk food. One of the other male inmates gets into a confrontation with another and a brawl inc-uses until one of them is killed with a knife, which means there is one less mouth to feed. His body is thrown of the cliff and into the ocean. The next day the women prisoners are washing clothes when three escape convicts kill three guys and take the four women prisoners into hiding. QUESTIONS: Who were the four inmates that took the girls? Why did they take the girls? Why are the four men separated from the group? MY THOUGHTS: I love this movie. This movie had three ingredients that make a great movie. Action, drama, and beautiful woman. I think Don Marshall was good in his role as AJ. I also thought that Monk and Dr Milford where good in their roles also. Barbara Leigh was good in her role as Bunny, So was Ena Hartman in her role as Carmen and Marta Kristen in her role as Lee. However, this movie in my mind was all about Phyllis Davis. She was fantastic in her role as Joy. One of my favorite scenes is when Dylan tries to come onto Joy and she makes him take his pants off. Then she covers his privates with honey and then walks over to a stump full of bees and cracks with a stick and the bees chase Dylan into the water. With the three things, that makes a movie great in this picture. Also for the talent and beautiful body of Phyllis Davis, I give this movie 10 weasel star.
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.