Watch The Devil-Ship Pirates For Free

Powerful

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Film Perfection

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Don Sharp directed this pirate film set in 1588, where a pirate ship led by Captain Robeles(played by Christopher Lee) is fighting for the Spanish Armada against the British. Their ship is badly damaged, and must go into dock for necessary repairs before they are captured. Their only chance is to convince an isolated nearby English village that in fact, the Spanish have won the battle(and not the other way around) which they manage to do at first, but after awhile, the village men become suspicious, and begin a campaign of sabotage and resistance, in the hope that they are in fact right... Good adventure yarn with interesting premise, fine acting, and well-staged action scenes. One of the best non-horrors from Hammer studios.

A great title, but THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES is not one of Hammer's best films - or, indeed, one of its best swashbuckler films. It's a singularly slow paced production that feels slightly lethargic, despite lots of incident in the plot and a storyline that works despite the absurdity of it all (think of it as a 16th century spin on WENT THE DAY WELL?). I think the main problem is that it all feels a bit genteel and twee, and never as genuinely menacing as it should be.Still, even second-rate Hammer is still better than its rivals, and this is the kind of film to while away a rainy afternoon. It features typically lush and vibrant cinematography, that makes even the low budget sets look grand; some decent special effects, including a full-size ship; colourful costumes and a handful of good action scenes, too.Towering over all is Christopher Lee as the chief pirate, a sinister Spaniard with a fine line in swordplay. Lee growls and barks his way through a pantomime performance as dastardly as Alan Rickman's in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, and the film garners a lot of goodwill on the strength of his performance alone; he supplies at least half of the entertainment value.As is usual with Hammer, part of the fun comes from spotting the familiar faces while watching. There are fairly meaty roles for Andrew Keir and Michael Ripper here, playing villager and pirate respectively, while Suzan Farmer (of Dracula, PRINCE OF DARKNESS and RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK) once again finds herself menaced by Lee. THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES is no classic, but Hammer fans will enjoy it.

A handsome but unremarkable pirate flick from the Hammer folks, The Devil-Ship Pirates is a fairly agreeable way to while away a rainy afternoon. It was also the first film in which Christopher Lee received top billing, so in some ways it has a kind of nostalgic importance in a study of his remarkable career. The story is quite intriguing, with a reasonably novel plot and some engaging characters, and director Don Sharp does a good job in putting most of the film's modest budget up there on the screen. I can't imagine anyone in the world claiming that this is their all-time favourite film, but I would be equally taken aback if someone were to call it the worst film ever made. It's just a solid, middle-of-the-road swashbuckler that's perfectly easy to watch and perfectly easy to forget.In 1588, the English defeat the Spanish Armada. A Spanish ship called the Diablo (Spanish for "devil", hence the title) is severely crippled in this unsuccessful invasion of the British Isles. The captain, a hissable villain named Robeles (Christopher Lee), puts his ship in for repairs in a lonely marshland area of South West England. Nearby is an isolated village, so detached from the rest of humanity that news is slow to reach the place. Robeles and his crew come up with the ingenious plan of seizing control of the village and hoodwinking the villagers into believing that the Armada has successfully invaded England. Initially the villagers have no cause to suspect the ruse, so they disconsolately give in to the Spanish demands. The Spaniards blockade the village to prevent the truth of the Armada's defeat from getting in while they ready their ship for the journey home, but gradually the villagers grow in pluck and soon a rebellion is on the cards, led by young aggressor Harry (John Cairney).The film is nicely photographed by Michael Reed, who manages to get across a stamp of quality that belies the film's meagre budget. Lee is very good as the sinister Spanish captain, looking truly intimidating in his costumes and bringing the same Dracula-like aura to the proceedings that he brought to his role in the Bram Stoker adaptations. The supporting cast of British stalwarts (how good is it to see Michael Ripper in such a prominent role??) provide engaging subsidiary characters that blend well with Lee's dominant presence. Like I've already said, the film is not particularly memorable or resonant, but that was never its aim anyway. This one is designed purely as entertainment - a simple blood-and-thunder pirate flick that can be enjoyed without pretensions - so within the context of its own aims it is a decent little film. You could do a lot worse.

Like its companion film, "The Pirates of Blood River," this Hammer production is set almost entirely on land. There are probably budgetary reasons for this but the results may be a tad disappointing for those seeking a rousing sea-going adventure.There are compensations -- a competent script, adequate mounting, and a cast of capable performers headed by Christopher Lee. What's more, John Cairney, who plays the village's hotheaded rebel, gets a flogging in the town square while bound, bare-chested, to a whipping post. Alas, only the final five of his allotted twenty-four lashes are shown on film.