Excellent but underrated film

A lot of fun.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Beautiful Eastmancolor 2.35:1 widescreen production with lots of action. "The Devil-Ship Pirates" is a well-paced and directed Hammer film with a decent budget and fine acting, including Sir Christopher Lee (then just plain Mr. Lee) convincingly mean and cruel as a pirate captain. One of Lee's better acting jobs in my opinion as he swashes and buckles (including some good sword fights) in an energetic role.English vs. Spaniards and pirates at the time of the Armada, while not much at sea there is plenty of action. Will hold your attention and moves at a brisk pace, therefore everyone can watch and everyone will be entertained.

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.

Or The Eagle Has Landed...Out of Hammer Film Productions, The Devil-Ship Pirates is directed by Don Sharp and written by Jimmy Sangster. Filmed in Eastman Colour and Megascope, it stars Christopher Lee, John Cairney, Barry Warren, Suzanne Farmer, Natasha Pyne, Andrew Keir, Philip Latham and Michael Ripper. Music is by Gary Hughes and cinematography by Michael Reed.July 1588. In the English Channel the British Fleet has been battling for two days against the mighty Spanish Armada.....Badly damaged, with half their crews killed, the ships of Spain battle their way up the Channel. And in the thickest part of the fighting is one of the smallest Spanish ships – the licensed privateer Diablo.OK, so it's practically a landlocked pirate film, with the water antics confined to the running a ground of the Diablo ship up some English estuary. Yet this should not detract from the good old swashbuckling fun available in this Hammer pirate adventure. Premise basically sees Christopher Lee's band of pirates take control of a remote English village by the sea, they achieve this by telling them that Spain has triumphed in the war and Blighty is under Spanish rule. With most of the village men out fighting the war, there are only a few English guys around and the village is mostly populated by ladies. Some of the village citizens are far from enamoured with the Spaniards being in control, others are a bit more compliant. Something's going to give if the truth will out.With sets used from The Scarlet Blade the previous year, production value is hardly high. But as is often the case with Hammer, you can't really tell as the film is vibrant in colour and costuming. Great cast assembled as well. Lee hardly stretches himself but is most enjoyable to watch swishing a blade and generally being a miserable tyrant. Around Lee are a roll call of stoic Hammer performers, with Ripper (getting a meatier role than usual), Keir, Cairney, Warren and Farmer leaving telling marks. The script slips in some cynicism via a couple of weasel village elders, and there's class distinction in here as well, while much heroic interest is garnered by having Cairney's resistance leader as being lame in one arm on account of a previous scuffle with the Spanish. A true hero!Much of the budget went on the construction of The Diablo ship. It was a ship that went down in Hammer folklore as a pain in the derrière. Such was the bad craftsmanship it often caused accidents, while it also capsized and cost the production a number of cameras and equipment. For the finale in the film the ship is seen ablaze, that's real, they gladly burnt it! But it's a great prop and is well used by Sharp. The director also handles his action sequences well enough, with three solid sword fights of note, one of which is played out in and around a marshy bog. But any expectation of Lee and co being Tyrone Power like will only lead to disappointment. Elsewhere, Reed's Eastman Colour photography is mostly rich and vibrant, though a bit lifeless around the water scenes and Hughes scores it plainly with standard Hammer strains.It has many flaws, obviously for a low budgeted Hammer yarn; for one thing the Spanish invaders are more British than the villagers! But this is still very good genre film making, not a dull moment to be had in what is a classic Sunday afternoon adventure. 7/10

1588. A severely damaged Spanish pirate ship is forced to pull into a small isolated village on the British coast for repairs. The pirates led by the stern, fearsome, and ruthless Captain Robeles (a terrific performance by Christopher Lee) convince the villagers that they have won the war and are their rightful masters. Director Don Sharp, working from a tight and compelling script by Jimmy Sangster, does a sound job with the engrossing story: the steady pace never falters, there's a vivid and credible evocation of the period, the lively sword fights are staged with real skill and brio, the pirates are a memorably scruffy and scurvy bunch, the strong central theme about bravery and cowardice adds extra substance to the narrative, and the thrilling fiery conclusion delivers the exciting goods. Moreover, further kudos are in order for the fine acting from a bang-up cast, with especially stand-out turns by Barry Warren as the firm and no-nonsense Don Manuel Ridrigeuz de Savilla, John Cairney as the bitter and insolent Harry, Suzan Farmer as the sweet Angela Smeeton, Michael Ripper as the jolly Pepe, Duncan Lamont as the tough and loyal the Bosun, Ernest Clark as the wimpy and sycophantic Sir Basil Smeeton, Natasha Pyne as the fragile Jane, and Andrew Keir as the pragmatic Tom. Michael Reed's vibrant widescreen cinematography gives the picture a pleasingly handsome look. Gary Hughes' spirited score likewise does the zesty trick. A very worthwhile and enjoyable movie.