Product Details

• Actors: Walter Matthau, Damien Thomas, Cris Campion, Ferdy Mayne, David Kelly
• Directors: Roman Polanski
• Format: PAL, Import, Dolby, Subtitled, Dubbed, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Stereo (Analog)), Castillian (Dolby Stereo (Analog))
• Subtitles: Castillian
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001GUMOGQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,795 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis: 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? - PIRATES is the tale of the infamous British buccaneer Pirate Red. Red and his first mate are shipwrecked and set adrift on a makeshift raft. Faced with starvation, Fate puts them in the path of a grand Spanish Galleon whose cargo includes the legendary Capatiec Hanoccac, a price-less, ancient gold throne. Imprisoned in the hull, the resourceful Red plans an escape and mutiny, determined to make hotly pursues the Spanish Lord's beautiful niece.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I never get tired of this movie..., April 14, 2001

By 

Robert Graves (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Pirates [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie has been with me for about 10 years. It grew on me quickly and it has become one of those movies I watch again and again, usually about once a month. First of all, Jean Claude Van Damme is not in this movie, contrary to what you may read in the reviews (I just love that careful attention to detail from most reviewers). However, the people that *are* in the film do a fine job, particularly Walter Matthau who in my opinion is a very, very believable pirate. What is so interesting to me about this movie is that it is one of the few films where you legitimately feel as though you are just peeking in at a tiny episode in the lives of the characters. The film, in fact, ends exactly where it begins, and you are left with a sense that you've seen only one miniscule adventure in the lives of these pirates, who have had and are yet to have countless more. I would have to say that if you are even remotely interested in this era of our history, watch this movie. It is not the epic that "Cutthroat Island" tried to be (and failed at), but rather it is the somewhat comical and adventurous story of Captain Red trying to get his gold, at any cost whatsoever. I hope they eventually put this out on DVD, but I won't hold my breath.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern swashbuckling classic, arr!, October 22, 2000

By 

Mr Vess (Cracow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pirates [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Arr, mateys, shiver me timbers!" is what you feel like shouting while watching this involving modern pirate movie that should become a classic. Roman Polanski had wanted to make a pirate movie such as this one for a long time, starting in the Lodz Film Academy in Poland, and finally did it - unfortunately, the problems he had affected the movie and made it a theatrical flop. Quite unfairly, as it has everything a pirate fan might want - a lovely score, breathtaking scenery, props and settings, a script that is adventurous and funny, good acting - and plenty of fun and adventure! And, most importantly, the amazing Walter Matthau as the best stereotypical pirate cap'n you'll ever see! Matthau performance is breathtaking - I can see his Cap'n Red standing arm-in-arm with Blackbeard, Black Bart and Captain Kidd, shouting orders at the "mateys"... Highly recommended for any fan of swashbuckling adventures - and for everyone else!

By the way, this film is easily available here on DVD. The DVD has "Pirates" in an uncut 2.35:1 widescreen version, with DTS/DD5.1 sound, and costs the equivalent of 5 USD. I've heard the film still has not been released in the USA - I wonder if it's true, and if so, why...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality, July 8, 2007

By 

Joseph M. Longo "Night Owl" (Fontana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pirates (DVD)

First, this is a poor quality DVD with quite a few glitches.
That aside, the movie is....well...different.
I especially liked Captain Red's dialog. It was colorful.
The movie was not nearly as "bawdy" as I had been led to believe, but it does have one catch.
Any other pirate movie you see, the pirate actually is a good guy, just misunderstood, somehow. The pirate always gets the girl, and the girl is always some duchess or something that is far above the pirates station in life.
Not this movie.
Pirates really went to sea for gold. If they came across anything else, they would take it, too. In this movie, that is what happens. The pirates live happily everafter because they got the gold. The girl got away, the pirates were a bunch of low lifes, very different from the way these movies have always played out in the past.