ThiefHott Too much of everything

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Eumenides_0 When Pirates came out in 1986, critics panned it and it was a commercial failure. Much like What?, it's an unusual movie for Roman Polanski. He's not a filmmaker immediately associated with humor, except in a marginal way - the black humor in a crime movie like Cul-de-sac, or a parody of the vampire movie in The Fearless Vampire Killers. Pirates is too over-the-top and perhaps too late in history to have an impact. After all, when The Fearless Vampire Killers came out, the Hammer Studios were still cranking out awful horror movies worthy of a parody. But by 1986 who remembered or cared about the Errol Flynn movies that Pirates so clearly and lovingly mocks, updates and pays homage to? What I found fascinating about this movie was that Polanski wasn't just trying to return to the good old days of romantic pirates. Oh no, his pirates are rude, cruel, sadistic criminals. And if they perform dashing feat, it's to rob gold-made thrones stolen from tropical tribes and not to save romantic interests. In every genre he worked in, Polanski always brought realism, whether it be psychological, or just showing a protagonist wear a bandage on his face for days after having it slashed by a knife.It's this type of realism that Polanski brings to Pirates. He mixes the old romantic view with the cruel reality. As the movie begins, Captain Red (played by a hilarious Walter Matthau), contemplates eating Frog, his servant. They're on a raft, without food or water. For Red this is natural, it's survival, the strongest kills the weakest. And it sets the type of black humor the movie will have.In spite of the awful reviews this movie gets, I consider Pirates a very well-made and well-acted movie. Walter Matthau steals the show as Captain Red: he's cunning, vicious, violent, manipulative, always full of himself. The character is so larger than life that he can only be played for laughs, and Matthau understands this.The movie was nominated for an Oscar for its costume design, which deserved - the costumes are exuberant, colorful, inventive. But where is recognition for its use of make-up, or for the cinematography, or art direction. Visually speaking, this movie was splendid.The movie is perhaps longer than it had to be, and the fact that its characters have few redeeming traits may upset some people looking for a good family movie with a happy ending. But people who watch it without preconceived ideas may be surprised and get into the spirit of the movie's absurdity.

theowinthrop Walter Matthau played many villains in his career, but his performance of the greasy, dirty, thoroughly charismatic Thomas Bartholemew Red is one of the best. Pulling out all stops (presumably with the blessings of director Roman Polanski) Matthau acted as the personification of guile and greed. He is seen floating on a raft at the beginning with his one loyal crewman "Frog" (Chris Campion), and are rescued by a Spanish galleon that they learn is carrying a treasure (a golden throne) and the daughter of a Spanish Governor. Matthau gets started stirring up the crew's discontent, in order to take over the galleon. But despite his stratagems, it is not easy - due to the countermeasures of Don Alfonso De la Torres (Damien Thomas), who is as ruthless in his way as Matthau is.This film would be memorable for just one moment I never forgot - to stir up the crew to mutiny, Red and Frog "find" a dead rat in the crew's food. The rat is brought to the attention of Torres. Instead of stammering apologies, Torres asks the pertinent question if any other rats were found in the food or on the ship. The crew thinks about it, and have to admit none were. So there is only this rat. Torres looks at the rat, and points out it looks like it isn't' even the type of rat found on boats at sea. It looks like a land rat - in which case, the rat was planted. So who found it? Red and Frog are brought forward. Torres does not beat them. He takes his sword, and cuts the dead rat in half. He gives half to each man, and tells to eat it. With some self-control, both men finish their half of the rat!Later was another scene regarding camera angles and bathtub shots. Roy Kinnear was playing a seventeenth century fence, who is useful to Matthau and the other pirates, but universally disliked (he gets his cut from the treasures, but he never puts his own life on the line regarding getting the treasures). Kinnear is taking a bath when Captain Red is announced. He knows that Red particularly dislikes him. A moment later Red is standing before the naked Kinnear in his steaming tub. While a disgusted Kinnear watches (we see Red from the back) the pirate urinates into Kinnear's bathtub.Any film with two sequences like that is unforgettable and entertaining.

olivierrenault Judging by the comments this is a love / hate kinda debate. Personnaly, this is definitely a love thing for me. This is one of the most memorable movie I've seen as a kid. Pirates have always been my thing anyway, but that movie just hits the spot. Forget Errol Flynn, men in tights, daring do, platonic romance, this is a dirty, gritty, sometimes macabre affair, but always funny, and the duo lead actor works wonderfully.If you've seen Pirates Of The Caribbean (who hasn't), you'll see that it borrowed an awful lot from Polanski's. I definitely recommend it, an awesome pirate flick! - I haven't seen the English version, but the French version is more than adequate. No silly accents, sharp dialogs, very good.

ShootingShark Feared pirate Captain Red and his sidekick Frog are marooned and down on their luck when by chance they are rescued by the Neptune, a Spanish ship carrying a priceless golden throne looted from the Incas. Once aboard, Red rallies the crew to mutiny, overthrows the officers and sails to his hideout in Maracibo, only to lose his plunder when imprisoned first officer Don Alfonso breaks free and takes the ship back. Red vows to steal it back at any cost, and sets sail with his motley crew of desperadoes ...This French-Tunisian co-production is a very enjoyable swashbuckler which was unfairly savaged by the critics upon its release and sadly disappeared into obscurity as a consequence. Its only real flaw is that it's a bit of a lazy picture; Polanski is a great director but I suspect he probably had too much fun making this film because it looks slapdash and thrown-together and it doesn't really generate any atmosphere or suspense, it just kind of sits there - a big splodge of a movie. This is no reason to dismiss it though - it has plenty of exciting scenes, eye-popping sets and costumes, plenty of mad drunken acting and lots of funny moments. The plot may be a bit incoherent at times, but there's always something going on and Matthau is terrifically all over the place as the 'orrible peg-legged Captain Red, with an accent that pickles your brain through your ears. The rest of the cast are good too, particularly Kinnear as a tightwad Dutch reprobate, and don't miss a brief role by singer-songwriter Dury (who wrote a great but sadly unused theme song called We Want The Gold) as Meathook, one of Red's cronies. I'm a sucker for pirate movies - they always have an iconic visual flair and plenty of opportunity for action, scares and laughs, which is what movies do best. This one isn't nearly as good as, say, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, or Disney's Treasure Island, but it's still a lot of fun, and Cap'n Red is as fine a crusty brigand as ever keelhauled a lubber. Holy Poker !