Hammer goes historical with this swashbuckling adventure set among the backdrop of the Spanish Armada.
Christopher Lee is the baddie, obviously, as the leader of a gang of pirates who have taken over a Spanish ship after the Armada was beaten. Finding themselves needing repairs they land in Southern England, luckily they are near a village. Telling the gullible villagers that the Spanish have won the war, they easily take the village and plan on rebuilding their ship. Not everyone is helpful though, and what with the drunken and bawdy crew things start to go wrong for them. Lee is his usual brilliant self as the cruel leader of the pirates and it's nice to see Hammer regular get more to do than normal. Of the good guys they're all very heroic but it's Lee that makes the film work, a great Hammer non-horror film.
Christopher Lee is the baddie, obviously, as the leader of a gang of pirates who have taken over a Spanish ship after the Armada was beaten. Finding themselves needing repairs they land in Southern England, luckily they are near a village. Telling the gullible villagers that the Spanish have won the war, they easily take the village and plan on rebuilding their ship. Not everyone is helpful though, and what with the drunken and bawdy crew things start to go wrong for them. Lee is his usual brilliant self as the cruel leader of the pirates and it's nice to see Hammer regular get more to do than normal. Of the good guys they're all very heroic but it's Lee that makes the film work, a great Hammer non-horror film.