There's something foreboding, yet striking, of the image of cliffs, heavy tides, foaming water, ships on vehement waves, and winding roads; you get that in abundance in this tale of skullduggery in a Cornwall village. You also get swordfights and highwaymen robbing coaches. Shootouts. You get the picture.
The story -The squire of a small Cornish community has always turned a blind eye to smuggling, until wreckers turn up in the area to lure ships onto the rocks and steal their cargo. Knowing some villagers are handling stolen goods, he comes down hard on wreckers and smugglers alike, enlisting the military to deal with the problem - but the villagers rebel, and turn to an infamous highwayman to defend them.
Like Peter Cushing said in his biography, this film is like a western, with plenty of shootouts, and riding. It's a rumbustious yarn, which is a bit ponderous at times, but the locations, the action and the acting - especially by Peter Cushing and Bernard Lee - enliven things. The heroes - John Fraser and William Franklyn - put in the physical work adeptly with sword and gun. Michele Mercier and Liz Fraser offer eye candy. A pleasant enough viewing on a Sunday afternoon.
The story -The squire of a small Cornish community has always turned a blind eye to smuggling, until wreckers turn up in the area to lure ships onto the rocks and steal their cargo. Knowing some villagers are handling stolen goods, he comes down hard on wreckers and smugglers alike, enlisting the military to deal with the problem - but the villagers rebel, and turn to an infamous highwayman to defend them.
Like Peter Cushing said in his biography, this film is like a western, with plenty of shootouts, and riding. It's a rumbustious yarn, which is a bit ponderous at times, but the locations, the action and the acting - especially by Peter Cushing and Bernard Lee - enliven things. The heroes - John Fraser and William Franklyn - put in the physical work adeptly with sword and gun. Michele Mercier and Liz Fraser offer eye candy. A pleasant enough viewing on a Sunday afternoon.