I thought A High Wind in Jamaica was going to be a family-friendly adventure movie because of the premise. Five children are sent on a ship to England to get a proper education, but in the middle of the voyage, a band of pirates hijacks the ship. Anthony Quinn and James Coburn are the two main pirates, and if you can guess which one is stern and which one has a soft spot in his heart for the kids, then give yourself a gold star and feel free to skip the movie.
As you'd expect, Anthony Quinn is very good as a ruffian with a heart of gold, and his tender scenes with the children, Deborah Baxter in particular, almost make the movie worth watching. The main problem with it is it's a pretty sad, adult drama that happens to have some kids among the cast. There is very little humor in the script, and the situations Deborah and her siblings find themselves in are far heavier than they should be. A High Wind in Jamaica is not one of those sweet Disney flicks like Treasure Island that came out in the 1950s and 1960s. If you really want to watch this one, just know you've been warned.
As you'd expect, Anthony Quinn is very good as a ruffian with a heart of gold, and his tender scenes with the children, Deborah Baxter in particular, almost make the movie worth watching. The main problem with it is it's a pretty sad, adult drama that happens to have some kids among the cast. There is very little humor in the script, and the situations Deborah and her siblings find themselves in are far heavier than they should be. A High Wind in Jamaica is not one of those sweet Disney flicks like Treasure Island that came out in the 1950s and 1960s. If you really want to watch this one, just know you've been warned.