Les pirates de l'île sauvage

I was lucky enough to go to the European premiere of this film in London ( although strangely enough i seem to remember that it ended up on a double bill with TOP SECRET in some cinemas). Made before Tommy Lee Jones became a big star it was quite obviously the inspiration for Pirates of the Caribbean. It was released in the UK under the title SAVAGE ISLANDS but in some places it was called NATE & HAYES. However, shame on Paramount for not exploiting it better. I know they had a lot riding on the not dissimilar Indiana Jones films but this is a cracking adventure and deserves better treatment (and why oh why has it not been seen on UK television for about 15 years?).

Good news though. The film is finally getting a DVD release (on region 1 only) on June 20th 2006 so keep an eye out for it.

Some comments regarding the film "Nate and Hayes" have made note of it's similarities to "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", but called it superior to Spielberg's film. I can only assume the people who said that haven't seen "Nate and Hayse" in a LONG time. Sure, "Temple of Doom" is a flawed film, but it's far more slick and eye-popping then this pirate romp, which shares the same flaws regarding story and dialog. When I was a kid, I put "Nate and Hayes" in the same category as the Indy films - After seeing it again as an adult, I can't say that I still do.

"Nate and Hayes" is one of the better and more creative of the early 80s "Raiders" knock-offs, largely due to it's setting, and the charismatic performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Michael O'Keefe. In addition, there are some rousing action sequences. But director Ferdinand Fairfax simply doesn't have the skill or flair of authentic Spielberg. In addition, the film is chock-full of hokey touches which, at times, seriously undermine the proceedings.

In the end, "Nate and Hayes" is a fun little movie.

This terrific adventure did poor business on release, maybe due to the title : "Nate and Hayes" sounds more like a department store than a swashbuckler. The UK title, "Savage Islands", summed it up much better. As one other writer commented, the film has certain features in common with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" but is actually much superior to the Spielberg effort. Tommy Lee Jones brings great charisma to the pirate hero, Michael O'Keefe is excellent as the pompous missionary who grows up in the course of the film, Jenny Seagrove is a meltingly beautiful yet spirited heroine and Australian actor Max Phipps is fine as the cruelly funny Ben Pease. There are rousing action sequences and a host of neat touches which suggest a lot of care went into the film.

Nate and Hayes is a grand pirate adventure of a film. The chemistry between Tommy Lee Jones and Michael O'Keefe is perfect and the score to the film is sweeping and epic. Great pirate adventure, highly recommended.

I loved this movie! It is fun and has a great sense of humor! It has wonderful action and is just campy enough to be a blast....Tommy Lee Jones is a great Pirate. Miles O'Keefe is good as a missionary, with maybe a little pirate in his heart? It is a great rainy Saturday afternoon movie with popcorn... enjoy!