Swashbuckler (1976)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Must See Movie...

Fresh and Exciting

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I forgot that I saw it when I was a teenager. So, I watched it again in May 2018. I wanted to see it thanks to Robert Shaw, because I like this actor a lot. Then I rediscovered that there is also a young and beautiful Geneviève Bujold, a young Peter Boyle, a young Beau Bridges. Geneviève Bujold is very sweet and Boyle and Bridges are very different than usual, all three very good. James Earl Jones is different than usual too. Geoffrey Holder, I know him well from "Live and Let Die", but also from "Annie" and "Krakatoa: East of Java". Also directed by James Goldstone, I have seen "Rollercoaster" (1977), "The Gang That Could Not Shoot Straight" (1971) and "Jigsaw" (1968). The most I liked this "Swashbuckler". It's not the greatest role of Robert Shaw, but it's a pleasure anytime to see him, a very special actor with a unique charm and personality. In a small and mute role, a very young Anjelica Huston.

Only the most deadly serious of us can stay mad at Swashbuckler, a ludicrous popcorn sack of a movie, made to capitalize on the star power of Robert Shaw, on the high seas as a pirate. I saw this movie when it made the rounds on HBO almost thirty years ago.The memory is fuzzy except for three things: Robert Shaw had enough charisma to carry a movie on his own, pirate movies-by nature--are usually fun, and Genevieve Bujold jumps off a ship, stark naked.Now, seeing Bujold naked is not a bad thing, but it's hardly the reason to track this movie down. I'd stick with the whole shiver-me-timbers, ship models blasting away at each other, eye-patches, and stuffy Royal Navy officers thing to justify the search.Besides, the full frontal of Genevieve is for about a second anyway. They must have thrown that in to keep the movie from being pure vanilla.

Pirate Ned Lynch (Robert Shaw) and his gang (including James Earl Jones) help Jane Barnet (Genevieve Bujold) fight evil Lord Durant (Peter Boyle).This film has a very bad reputation. Critics hated it and it was a financial disaster at the box office. I can't figure out why. It's not perfect but it's not horrible. The bad things in it: Shaws' Irish accent makes some of his dialogue unintelligible; the scripts dialogue is aimed at kids; the character of Cudjo (Geoffrey Holder) is introduced--and then disappears for an hour!; ditto with Major Folly (Beau Bridges); the treatment of Bujold is horrible (and she acts very lost in this movie); there are some really strange kinky touches such as Bridges almost being tortured, Bujold's pointless nude swimming scene and Durant's bath with a young boy and having Anjelica Huston in the film...and giving her NO dialogue!The good: With the exception of Bujold the cast is having a whale of a time (Bridges especially is enjoying himself); it's fun to see Jones so young and full of life; there's plenty of action (with some great sword fights); it's very lavishly produced and there's a rousing music score by John Addison.Basically it's a fun way to kill of 100 minutes--I was never bored. This is one of Hollywoods many failed attempts to revive the pirate movie. Through the 1980s and 90s they gave us --"The Island", Polanski's "Pirates", "The Pirate Movie" and "Cutthroat Island". All big budget bombs. Maybe Hollywood should give up (I'm not counting "Pirates of the Caribbean"--that was not a movie-it was an ad for a Disney theme park.)Worth catching.

I'm tired of Leonard Maltin and anyone else who panned this movie! I agree with 85-95% of what he usually reviews. HOWEVER, there are some movies you just gotta accept as fun, and disregard bad parts (like the whole Peter Boyle role--geez, they coulda gotten a better bad guy). Robert Shaw is a perfect pirate, and he and James Earl Jones made a great duo. The acrobatics / fencing / cannons is just a whole lot of action packed fun, with the HAHAHHAHA guy from the soda commercials and James Bond "Live and Let Die" movie. Beau Bridges' part is the perfect MASH / Frank Burns type; great for the other characters to make fun of. But, being a musician, what stood out to me is the music. Too bad they didn't use more Sound studio effects like reverb or chorusing, because the score is awesome. The cinematograpy is awesome, too; beautiful wide / panned shots of Jamaica and its mountains / coastline. Not the best movie to have your kids watch with you, as it gets suggestively racy in some parts, but, I'd put this in the same category of "almosts" like Remo Williams, Punisher, King Solomon's Mines (Richard Chamberlain / Sharon Stone). So, lighten up, get yer popcorn and Diet Coke, and have fun! Aye, Cap'n!!