User reviews

The movie starts alright, after 20-30 minutes it becomes quite good, after 40 it becomes interesting, and then around an hour or so, it does complete 180 and turns into....Nick Cage movie :)

It seems as if they had no money to pay the original writer to the fullest, so after 75% completion of screenplay, they fired the original writer, and then gave it to their children to do the rest.

All in all very tense, very interesting....and very typical and pointless in the end.

The plot is like titillating a man's fantasy. A guy goes to repair some fence in an isolated house on Grand Isle. He is sex deprived for six months due to his wife's post delivery depression. In the bungalow, he meets a couple, a hot lady n her alcoholic impotent husband. The lady seduces the guy,......something happens but I dont want to spoil, he has sex with her but we dont get to c any nudity except for her glutes for few secs.

The plot is heavily lifted from the 90s erotic thrillers n Out of Time (2003). The budget is low n the space is confined. Ther is some hand held cam stuff n unnecessary darkly lit scenes. What can I say about our Nic. This time he is sporting his long locks like the one from Con Air but those muscles r missing. 2019 has been very busy for him.

Old pal Nic Cage rarely disappoints me - I don't need much from him, but some movies he just cannot save with his usual cage-ing around, if I might put it so. "Grand Isle" was particularly disappointing, because what originally intrigued me was the trailer. It turned out it's just one of those cases where the trailer is superior to the movie.

So we got Nicolas Cage as the top-billed star with his character actually being somewhere between the lead and supporting role, we also got 10 minutes of an unimpressive but more than okay Kelsey Grammer, also an average KaDee Strickland as the seductive wife of Nicolas Cage & Luke Benward as the lead character. All of them did an arguably decent job, for the bad things I mostly blame the script. All of the characters are text-book type and just plainly uninspiring, with only Nic Cage channeling a bit of that awesome Cage energy into his character (as he does with any character nowadays). The script, yes, the script is a the major flaw of "Grand Isle". If the visual & technical side of it is fine, average, sure, but fine, then the writing is what truly makes this a cheap B thriller. I'm not even sure if the script was too full of stuff of too void of it - on the surface there are many themes involved, but they're poorly stitched together, nothing surprises, nothing really has an impact & the pacing is, at times, extremely dragging. Boredom is a risk you have to be willing to take if you're watching "Grand Isle".

You know, there's not a whole lot I can say or even want to say about "Grand Isle" - It's an underwhelming, unfocused and unoriginal piece of filmmaking, the only redeeming value is bits and pieces of that Cage I really like, but that might just me. Bottom point being - this goes out as a recommendation to only the most hardcore Nic Cage fans. Otherwise don't torture yourself. My rating: 4/10

Go ahead and take her. She's all yours. But I'll tell you this. She got a dark side... Darker than hell.

I admire the phenomenon called Nicolas Cage enormously. Every film with him (and nowadays it's a lot every year) is a mandatory watch for me. I really can't let a single Cage movie pass by. Even though I know that more than half of them are of a dubious level. And some downright bad. And yet there are sometimes gems in between. Now, "Grand Isle" certainly isn't the pinnacle of his film oeuvre. It's rather mediocre. The run-up is promising. The concept had potential. And Cage is having a blast with his role that fits him like a glove. Add to that a bitter Milf, a young handyman whose hormones are going berzerk and "Frasier" as a biased, god-fearing detective who would prefer to put the suspect on a stake, and you still have enough material to make something out of it. It all looks reasonable. Until halfway somewhere. And then the movie transforms to the level of an average C film. Unfortunately, the presence of such a cult figure as Cage couldn't change that.

And to think that a white fence is the beginning of all the misery for Buddy (Luke Benward). Such an innocent item with far-reaching consequences. The way in which this fence was damaged, on the other hand, is not so innocent. Not difficult when the owner of the house is an ex-marine with a serious drinking problem. Walter (Nicolas Cage) is a bitter, fatalistic persona. A bit of a crazy person who still can't get over the fact that he got wounded in Vietnam in a ridiculous way and returned home while his platoon went on a mission the next day. The disappointment was immense. Even knowing that the entire platoon got eliminated completely a few weeks later, the disappointment about a missed opportunity remains. This pent-up anger in combination with excessive alcohol consumption makes him an unguided projectile. His mood, grumpy reactions, and downright aggressive attitude make him an unpleasant person.

Walter also doesn't treat his other half kindly. She's a mature diva whose body shapes are extremely well preserved and whose libido clearly hasn't disappeared yet. And let that be exactly what Walter fails to deliver. He won't even budge when she shows up in a transparent nightgown with erotic underwear underneath it. A disinterested look and another sip of a glass of whiskey are the only reactions. It's not without reason that this hot woman sets her sights on the young, muscular handyman. A handyman with a sex life on the back burner since his lovely wife gave birth to a cuddly daughter. And just when you think it's going to be about a dangerous triangular relationship where the psychopathic-looking husband wants to initiate a lynch party, the young handyman sits at the police station, face bloodied, trying to prove his innocence in a murder case.

Indeed, Walter is really the kind of character that has Nicolas Cage written all over it. The manic mood. Maniacal laughter. Medium length, greasy hair, and a rough stubble beard. The constant drinking and the half-awake state he's in practically all the time. And it's not the first time Cage played such a person. In short, it feels familiar to see him that way. The most interesting interpretation, however, is that of Kadee Strickland as the voluptuous Fancy. Every time she's in the shot, you simply feel the erotic tension increase. Her sultry voice and sensuous appearance ensure she demands all the attention. Unfortunately, Luke Benward could not compete with these two heavyweights. And although he actually plays the main character, it felt like his part was less important.

As I said before, the format of the film is only half successful. It seemed to be heading in the direction of a "Basic Instinct" -like, erotic thriller. Only the eroticism and the thriller section remains below par. And you get a rather absurd conclusion. Also, the dark secret of this demonic couple is presented so casually that its impact is negligible. And let's not forget about the intervention of the police. You really can call this part quite ridiculous. Furthermore, the movie is peppered with improbabilities. Such as that small detail from the testimony that cannot even be verified immediately. But still, it ensures that the biased inspector makes a 180-degree turn immediately. It's amazing how someone's beliefs can change so quickly. And the end of the film is simply terrible. Apparently even the marine uniform Cage was wearing, was also completely wrong. Again proof that quantity and quality aren't related. If you are an immense Cage fan, you should watch it of course. Unfortunately, "Grand Isle" isn't really grand after all.

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Flicking through channels, saw this film was on &, as I like Nic Cage & Kelsey Grammar, thought I'd give it a watch. It's not a bad enough film to be fun unfortunately just kind of boring. Had to watch with subtitles too as I could not understand half of what Kelsey Grammar & the main actress were saying, their Southern accents were so strong (I'm from the UK so that probably didn't help...). The guy who played Buddy wasn't a terrible actor (he'd most likely be ok in a better film). Feel kind of sad 2 actors I loved are acting in films like this now but I guess they need the money...

I'm a fan of neo-noir thrillers, and since the trailer sold me, I decided to give this B-grade film a chance. What started off surprisingly interesting and suspenseful, turned bland after the fist half.

Novice director Stephen S. Campanelli was great behind the camera, and ok directing his cast. But the screenplay by amateur writers Iver William Jallah and Rich Ronat, needed a seasoned writer to look it over and make some major edits. I get this is a low budget B-grade film, but what started off so good, could've easily ended just as good or even great. Sadly, once it sets up its naughty and wild formulaic plot, it stops delivering.

Casting was decent with Kelsey Grammer, KaDee Strickland and the lovely Zulay Henao, but as a long-time fan of Cage's, I wanted more "Cage-iness". Cinematography and production sets were on point, as was the score.

For a B-grade low budget film, I've seen much worse, and still enjoyed the most part of the film. It's a generous 7/10 from me.

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I'm from Louisiana and they do not speak like hicks in Grand Isle also looks nothing like the place. Cage is supposed to be a Marine and he is wearing a damn Army uniform. at least you guys could have got that right. What a crap

When I see that Nicolas Cage appears in the cast of a movie I wonder what it's going to be this time. Nicolas Cage is a good actor, everybody knows him and he hasn't to prove anything anymore, but the truth is that he accepts a lot of roles in bad movies. I don't know any actor that played in really good movies and also real stinkers so it's always a guess what it will be the next time. Grand Isle is interesting, a story with some suspense and decent acting from the whole cast. It all begins promising and that remains like that for most of the movie but towards the end it feels a bit unfinished and stupid. But it's not the worst movie with Nicolas Cage, so that's already something.

This film unravelled a story, without any twists or turns, which means that everything the viewer anticipates to happen, happens. Unfortunately, in a sad and sinister way, I had hoped this film was based on some true events which in turn would have made this movie twice as entertaining, or not half as bad as the final product. The actors all played their part well, Nicholas Cage a little slow minded but a role which suits him. Kadee Strickland a seductive wife of Nicolas Cage and Luke Benward as a main suspect in a murder case, that of which is the narrative of the story. All in all a long one and half hours.

Man, I don't understand the bad reviews. I am in no way affiliated with the movie for the record. I quite liked this film it had most things I like, spooky, creepy old house, storm, thriller etc. One thing I thought was super cool is it almost seemed more like a play than a movie? Nic Cage is fantastic as always, and really all the actors did an admirable job. I rented this but went back and purchased because I knew I would watch it again.

This film is definitely worthy of an IMDB 7, well written, brilliant screenplay and perfectly directed. Cage has been in some more than questionable films of late but this brings him right back to excellence. I recommend this film as a great all round thriller!!! Lee.W, London

As a marine myself. This movie was bad, the uniform was completely wrong!!!

This is just utter crap... Completely embarrassing for all involved... I love nic cage and keep putting myself through these awful movies... Maybe it's time to stop now... Only scenes I enjoyed were with my other favourite actor, kelsey grammer...

Story is beyond flawed and been done much better before.

The script is very weak and the director didn't know what he want or how to work with Cage, this movie could have been better if Cage got his chance to go wild with the character and to be honest all the actors were really good but they can't improve the script

Starts off as an interesting sort of claustrophobic thriller, before some lazy twists and a clear lack of budget lead to an incredibly weak an incongruous ending.

I started off picking up a sort of southern gothic vibe with some Persephone & Hades allusions. As the movie went on, it sort of meandered it's way to a sudden change in scenery about 2/3 the way through, then through some TV exposition and background dialogue we sort of stumble into a lame and thematically inconsistent ending that kinda tries to make a point about something, but it's entirely unlike what the rest of the movie had on it's mind. On top of that, there are several scenes that look like they were clearly shot in a day with only a few takes, with poor angles/framing and which show characters that were never introduced before.

All in all, it seems like there was a clear vision (and an interesting one at that!) that was severely hampered by either a bad ending in the script, a low budget, or compressed shooting schedule.

It's a shame because there's some decent performances(though very heightened, they're interesting) and set design in the first 1/2, but the slap-dash last 1/3 and the incongruous ending make this hardly worth the time.

I watched this because it stars KaDee Strickland, a celebrity crush, and it was worth it for her hot performance. The rest of the film was rather amateurish, the director is new to the chair, most of his credits are camerawork in films so he's still learning and it shows in various ways. It was plot-convenient that a hurricane was blowing in because it provides excuses for lights out, and spooky wind, rain, thunder and lightning which was overused. It's a decent enough watch, not a waste, but don't make it your "movie night" pick, it just doesn't rate up there for that.

I enjoyed it simply because it didn't take place anywhere in California or NYC, and also because it had a real ending with a conclusion. I'm so tired of new movies just ending in the air like someone forgot to write the last act.

#louisianalawncare is wrong. Cage's character is a marine.

"The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations with the United States Navy as well as the Army and Air Force."

So they are Army and and they just work alongside the Navy during amphibious operations.

The plot is all over the place and the acting is over the top bad. The wife's accent is painful. It's not a horrible movie if you can ignore her accent and gratuitous sexual undertones. Nic Cage is totally meta as usual which is expected but the lead is just kinda just there. It's definitely a forgettable movie.

More proof Nicholas Cage is a dreadful actor. The film starts off well but the story line soon turns silly and makes hardly any sense by the end, It had potential but failed miserably. Kelsey Grammar should be ashamed putting his name to this rubbish