The heart-pounding tone of Michael Curtiz's classic swashbuckling adventure is established moments after the opening credits, when 16th Century British pirate captain Geoffrey Thorpe leads a raid on the galleon of a Spanish ambassador. After the chaotic clash is over, Thorpe's men have captured the ambassador and learning that the Spanish are planning to wage war against England, our hero rushes home to warn Queen Elizabeth. It's back in England that Thorpe discovers the royal court is easily as dangerous as the high seas and surrounded by jealousy and deception the pirate captain finds himself on trial. A cracking adventure from the Golden Age of Hollywood.