The King's Pirate

Comic remake of Against All Flags; all very pleasant and colourfully photographed, but hampered by Doug McClure's hopeless performance. At the start of the film we see big Doug getting flogged aboard ship, but his facial expression suggests it's all just a big joke. He certainly doesn't appear to be in much pain. However, the film comes into its element when it gets down to the swashbuckling side of things. The action and pacing in these sequences is much more competent, and comes close in some scenes to rivalling the blood and thunder heroics of earlier pirate flicks. Jill St. John (best known for Diamonds Are Forever and Sitting Target) is spirited in this, really turning on the charm, as well as the action, as the heroine. However, every now and again the film tries to play it for laughs, but its slapstick style is pitifully weak. A mixed bag, but you could much worse.