89
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenDirected by Michael Curtiz, Captain Blood is much more than a showcase for one of Hollywood’s legends. The action sequences at sea crackle with excitement (and surprisingly intricate special effects), while the well-navigated narrative, based on a book by adventure novelist Rafael Sabatini, has the fatalistic scope of Charles Dickens.
- 100Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneIt is masterfully directed by Michael Curtiz, features a stirring score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, has love interest supplied by Olivia de Havilland and boasts a rousing duel to the death between Flynn and (yes, again) Basil Rathbone. [24 Jul 1987, p.74]
- 100Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallTampa Bay TimesSteve PersallThe blueprint for every pirate movie since. [24 Jan 2008, p.28W]
- With a spirited and criminally good-looking Australian named Errol Flynn playing the genteel buccaneer to the hilt, the photoplay recaptures the air of high romantic adventure which is so essential to the tale.
- 90Orlando SentinelOrlando SentinelFlynn's combination of lithe, animal grace, clear-eyed youthfulness, pure English-speaking voice and athletic prowess is irresistible. [01 Nov 1998, p.68]
- 80EmpireIan NathanEmpireIan NathanLavish pirate adventure that launched Errol Flynn onto 1930's screens and ensured that buckles would be swashed for a good few years to follow.
- 75Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderMichael Curtiz, the most polished of Warner's studio technicians, starts Flynn off royally.
- 75Slant MagazineNick SchagerSlant MagazineNick SchagerErrol Flynn’s wicked, wicked charm helps keep this high seas adventure afloat.
- 70The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelThe 25-year-old Errol Flynn has the smile and dash to shout "All right my hearties, follow me!" as he leaps from his pirate ship to an enemy vessel.