When one considers the amount of acting talent here it is a shame it was so misused. With the likes of B-movie vets John Payne, Donna Reed, Gerald Mohr, Anthony Caruso and Lon Chaney i was expecting much more. It is just your basic story of a ship's captain, John Payne, who frees a crew from the nasty Spanish and takes off to be a pirate. It also features the standard pirate plot where Payne captures the local lord's wife to be, Donna Reed, who of course falls for the dashing pirate. Director Salkow did much better with THE GOLDEN HAWK and PRINCE OF PIRATES. Donna Reed would win a Best Supporting Oscar on her next film, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. She gave not a clue of such talent in this rather soft action flick. Same thing with the normally solid, John Payne. Not a complete loss since there are several brisk battle scenes and the odd comic touch from Lon Chaney. A grade b, b film. (color)
Review of Raiders of the Seven Seas
