Although the title evokes a swashbuckling adventure,
Roman Polanski's Pirates tuns out to be a seagoing tale with a bit of a difference. Captain Red (
Walter Matthau) runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor (Cris Campion). One day Capt. Red is captured and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the daughter of the governor of Maracaibo (
Charlotte Lewis, soon to co-star in
The Golden Child opposite
Eddie Murphy). The question is, can he keep this pace up? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide