Highly watchable and entertaining old fashioned actioner directed by one of the best action directors of them all, Raoul Walsh. So don't expect much characterisation or romance, rather you'll get plenty of excitement, camaraderie, duty and danger.
There is a touch of romance to be sure, in the person of the lovely Virginia Mayo, an admiral's intended bride, who coincidentally ends up on Hornblower's boat and soon enough in his arms, but even here, you sense Walsh is just paying lip-service to the plot device devoting about ten minutes screen time to it and then abruptly providing a rushed and contrived but completely expected finish between the two of them.
Better then to consider the remainder, a largely rip-roaring tale of the heroic but humble Hornblower's exploits in the Napoleonic Wars as he dispenses with firstly the Spanish and then the French in quick succession, against all the odds naturally.
Walsh demonstrates his age-old flair for battle sequences and crowd scenes, the only let-down being some of the model-work of the ships which occasionally comes across as unconvincing. The acting is fine, Peck excellent as the title character although hardly the most physical of leads, with good support from a largely British crew,Stanley Baker and James Robertson Justice prominent amongst them. The navy terminology spoken at length throughout adds credibility and the sets and cinematography add colour add atmosphere to the whole.
Some of the narrative turns are predictable and even clichéd and you never truly believe it's true to life but it's great fun and as easy on the eye as it is light on the brain, not quite a swashbuckler but more than just another navy lark.
There is a touch of romance to be sure, in the person of the lovely Virginia Mayo, an admiral's intended bride, who coincidentally ends up on Hornblower's boat and soon enough in his arms, but even here, you sense Walsh is just paying lip-service to the plot device devoting about ten minutes screen time to it and then abruptly providing a rushed and contrived but completely expected finish between the two of them.
Better then to consider the remainder, a largely rip-roaring tale of the heroic but humble Hornblower's exploits in the Napoleonic Wars as he dispenses with firstly the Spanish and then the French in quick succession, against all the odds naturally.
Walsh demonstrates his age-old flair for battle sequences and crowd scenes, the only let-down being some of the model-work of the ships which occasionally comes across as unconvincing. The acting is fine, Peck excellent as the title character although hardly the most physical of leads, with good support from a largely British crew,Stanley Baker and James Robertson Justice prominent amongst them. The navy terminology spoken at length throughout adds credibility and the sets and cinematography add colour add atmosphere to the whole.
Some of the narrative turns are predictable and even clichéd and you never truly believe it's true to life but it's great fun and as easy on the eye as it is light on the brain, not quite a swashbuckler but more than just another navy lark.