Capt. William Kidd (Charles Laughton) sinks and loots English galleon The Twelve Apostles. He and four others carry the treasure chest to a remote island. Nobody trusts him. When he gets challenged, he shoots and buries one man with the loot. It's 1699 London. Kidd offers himself as a honest man looking for a privateer commission from the King. The King believes his lies and assigns him to escort Quedagh Merchant back to England. The King even allows him to recruit a new crew from imprisoned pirates among them is quarrelsome Adam Mercy (Randolph Scott). Out of nowhere, the three pirates catch up to Kidd after being abandoned on a reef and they want their share of the treasure.
I would like more swashbuckling. It's almost an hour before we get a good old fashion sword fight. There are some gunplay, but there are no sea battle scenes. This is more a costume drama with some action. The ship isn't even rolling during a storm. The rooms are way too big. Laughton does project a sly evilness for Captain Kidd. He's a good villain. All the fun comes from his full body performance. This got an Oscar nomination for original score.
I would like more swashbuckling. It's almost an hour before we get a good old fashion sword fight. There are some gunplay, but there are no sea battle scenes. This is more a costume drama with some action. The ship isn't even rolling during a storm. The rooms are way too big. Laughton does project a sly evilness for Captain Kidd. He's a good villain. All the fun comes from his full body performance. This got an Oscar nomination for original score.