Swashbucklers

Director Martin Campbell, well-known to the action arena after 1995's GoldenEye, teams up with executive producer Steven Spielberg to bring the first Hollywood production of creator Johnston McCulley's Zorro in over four decades to the big screen. With scenic 18th century Mexico as a backdrop, Anthony Hopkins plays the original Zorro, a.k.a. Don Diego de la Vega, intent on revenge after rival enemy Don Raphael Montero (Stuart Wilson) murdered his wife and took his daughter, Elena. After being imprisoned for 20 years, the fabled hero removes his mask and takes on a tarnished young apprentice, Alejandro Murieta (Antonio Banderas), to infiltrate Montero's plan to take control of California from Santa Anna. A boisterous outlaw with his own desire for revenge, Murieta works with Diego to avenge his brother's death by the sword of Montero's right-hand man, Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher, in his big screen debut). After Diego's extensive training in swordfighting, discipline and manners, a new Zorro appears wreaking vengeance and stealing the heart of a now-grown Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). A sizable summer hit, the film served as Zeta-Jones' stepping stone to leading lady status as the high-spirited heroine. ~ Rachel Koetje, All Movie Guide

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns to the screen for another round of supernatural adventures on the high seas in this spirited sequel to the 2003 Disney hit, which re-teams original director Gore Verbinski with original screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. As Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) prepare to exchange vows at the altar, their wedding plans hit rough waters with the arrival of sea-bound scallywag Jack Sparrow. It seems that Sparrow owes a substantial blood debt to half-octopus sea captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and that the only way for the flamboyant sea rover to elude the wrath of his otherworldly pursuer is to seek the aid of mysterious and powerful voodoo priestess Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), whose ability to resurrect the dead and gaze into the future may provide just the advantage needed to avoid a waterlogged fate in the locker of his legendary nemesis. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This film is a '90s version of the classic Robin Hood story, with Kevin Costner starring as the good-guy thief. Costner is joined in his efforts against the murdering Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) by Morgan Freeman who plays a philosophizing Moor, and by Nick Brimble, who plays Little John (anything but little). After Robin barely survives a watery skirmish with Little John, the two become allies and Robin joins forces with Little John's band of robber thieves to overcome the evils of the dastardly Nottingham sheriff. ~ All Movie Guide

In the three-hour period television miniseries Blackbeard, Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart, Jason and the Argonauts) assumes the title role of the dreaded marauder who spent 1716-1718 terrorizing the Caribbean Sea. Born Sir William Teach, the mariner rechristens himself Blackbeard, and subsequently builds a legend around himself as the most merciless and loathsome pirate in world history by plundering as many ships and murdering as many seafarers as he can lay his dirty mitts on. Directed by Kevin Connor (Motel Hell, The Land That Time Forgot), Blackbeard co-stars big screen vets Rachel Ward, Stacy Keach, and Richard Chamberlain. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

When British actor Robert Donat dropped out of Warner Bros. Captain Blood, the studio took a chance on its new contractee, Tasmania-born Errol Flynn. Adapted from the novel by Rafael Sabatini, the film is set during the oppressive reign of King James II. Irish physician Peter Blood (Errol Flynn), arrested for treating a wounded anti-crown rebel, is condemned to slavery in Jamaica. Here he earns several privileges after treating the governor (George Hassell) for gout; this does not rest well with Lionel Atwill, the wicked owner of the plantation on which Blood is forced to work. Nor is Atwill pleased with the growing relationship between his niece Arabella (Olivia DeHavilland) and the imprisoned doctor. An attack on Jamaica by Spanish pirates gives Blood and his fellow slaves the opportunity to become buccaneers themselves. After several months of fighting and plunder, Blood's men capture a merchant ship bearing Arabella. Blood fights a duel with a French pirate (Basil Rathbone) over the girl; having "won" her, Blood intends to have his way with her, but his more decent instincts prevail. When King James is overthrown by William of Orange, Blood is given a commission and lauded as a hero as a reward for his bravery against the Spanish galleons. He is appointed governor of Jamaica, wins the hand of the lovely Arabella, and genially forces Atwill to eat crow. This seemingly outsized swashbuckler was actually a very economical production, using stock footage from several silent films. Captain Blood transformed the 26-year-old Errol Flynn into a star; he's a little clumsy in the dialogue department at times, but cuts a dashing figure in the action scenes. The film also represented the cinematic debut of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who wasn't completely happy with his hastily written score and asked that his on-screen credit be diminished to "musical director". Long available only in its 99 minute re-issue version, Captain Blood has been restored to its full, glorious 119 minute length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Take a sexy ride on the high seas with some swashbuckling pirates whose erotic adventures are sure to shiver your timbers as and lusty ladies Devon, Janine, and Teagan Presley do battle with all manner of scallywags in a wild ride on the haunted sea featuring skeleton warriors, Incan magic, and, of course, prurient pirates who are always up for a romp in the cabin. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The 18th century Scottish legend of Robert Roy MacGregor comes to life in this stylish adaptation of the swashbuckling novel by Sir Walter Scott. Liam Neeson stars as the title character, a cattle drover and proud head of a Highlands clan who takes a one thousand pound loan from the royal Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt) in order to make a profit on some livestock that will keep his struggling people alive through the coming winter. One of the Marquis' henchmen, wily expert swordsman Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth) learns of the loan from the nobleman's factor, Killearn (Brian Cox), and steals the money by murdering Rob Roy's best friend MacDonald (Eric Stoltz). Unable to repay the loan and unwilling to give up his land, Rob Roy becomes a fugitive, hunted by none other than Cunningham, who rapes Rob Roy's wife Mary (Jessica Lange). Scotch-British politics come to a boil over the Rob Roy affair, leading to an officially sanctioned showdown between the stoic farmer and Cunningham. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In order to avoid the material copyrighted by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. for his 1922 Robin Hood, the scripters of this Flynn version relied on several legendary episodes that had never before been filmed, notably the battle between Robin and Little John (Alan Hale Sr., who played this part three times in his long career) and the "piggy-back" episode between Robin and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette). The film ties together the various ancient anecdotes with a storyline bounded by the capture in Austria of Richard the Lionheart (Ian Hunter) on one end and Richard's triumphant return to England on the other. Robin Hood is already an outlaw at the outset of the film, while Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland) is initially part of the enemy camp, as one of Prince John's (Claude Rains) entourage. Marian warms up to Robin's fight against injustice (and to Robin himself), eventually becoming a trusted ally. James Cagney was originally announced for the role of Robin Hood, just before Cagney left Warner Bros. in a salary dispute. William Keighley was the original director, but he worked too slowly to suit the tight production schedule and was replaced by Michael Curtiz (both men receive screen credit). A lengthy opening jousting sequence was shot but removed from the final print; portions of this sequence show up as stock footage in the 1957 Warners film The Story of Mankind. The chestnut-colored Palomino horse ridden by de Havilland in the Sherwood Forest scenes later gained screen stardom as Roy Rogers' Trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This animated feature retells the story of Anthos, Aramis, and Porthos, a trio of French swordsmen and patriots who are determined to protect their nation and its leader, King Louis XIII, from the machinations of the devious Cardinal Richelieu. With the help of D'Artagnan, another able hand with a sword, they set off to defeat Richelieu and his men, who are pushing France to the brink of war. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Richard Hughes, this drama takes an unusual look at both seafaring pirates and the true nature of children. The Thorntons, a British family living in Jamaica, decide to pull up stakes and sail back to England after Frederick Thornton (Nigel Davenport) and his wife (Isabel Dean) decide that life in the Caribbean is having a negative effect on her children's sense of order and discipline. While returning home, their ship is attacked by Capt. Chavez (Anthony Quinn), who along with his first mate Zac (James Coburn), begins to loot the ship for valuables. However, in the midst of the confusion of the pirate raid, the Thornton children scurry onto the pirate ship, and it's not until they've left the other ship behind that Chavez and Zac discover that they have new passengers. While most of the pirates are unenthusiastic about having a pack of kids on board, Chavez declares that they must be allowed to stay on board until they can be taken to a safe port. As they get to know each other, Chaven develops a soft spot for the children, especially ten-year-old Emily (Deborah Baxter), but in time, the kids' mischievous playfulness begins to transform itself into something more sinister. The supporting cast includes Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, and Gert Frobe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Lupe has fallen in love with El Zorilla, but little does the smitten beauty realize that the heroic figure is actually the alter ego of the soft-spoken Tin-Tan. When the scheming Don Gaspar has Don Martin and his loyal employees jailed in a devious underhanded scheme, however, it's up to El Zorila to thwart the evil plan and ensure that justice prevails in a Mexican comedy classic directed by Gilberto Martinez Solares and starring Silvia Pinal and German Valdez. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Every time the story of Robin Hood is turned into a popular theatrical film, dozens of second-rate cinematic retellings of the legend pop up out of the woodwork. The 1985 Robin Hood is a 60-minute cartoon version, issued on videocassette to cash in on the recent video release of Disney's 1973 Robin Hood animated feature. Essentially, the 1985 version rehashes the "original" story, the first meetings with the various Merrie Men, and the foiling of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Been there, done that. This poorly animated Robin Hood was packaged for public consumption by Children's Video of America Inc. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though the story told in Robin and Marian is unfamiliar to most audiences, it is actually quite faithful to several of the ancient Robin Hood legends. During the Crusades, Robin (Sean Connery) is still loyal to King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris), but even he has trouble adjusting to the monarch's ever-increasing paranoia and lunacy. After Richard's death, Robin returns to England, his first visit to his home turf in 20 years. He looks up his beloved Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn, last seen in 1967's Wait Until Dark), who is now a middle-aged nun. No sooner do Robin and Marian renew their relationship than the aging Merry Men demand Robin's services in thwarting their old foe, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw). Marian is aghast that the long-standing feud between Robin and the sheriff threatens to expand into wholesale bloodshed. The two venerable enemies agree to one last mano a mano battle -- only to watch helplessly as the all-out war they'd tried to avoid commences anyway. Both the tragic climax and Robin's last, defiant arrow shot are drawn directly from authentic Robin Hood ballads of the 14th and 15th centuries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide