Errol Flynn does the swashbuckling thing in this 1952 action adventure film. Going undercover w/a group of pirates led by Anthony Quinn & Maureen O'Hara (?), Flynn (& a couple of his sea mates) prove his bona fides by enduring painful lashes across his back to show he's one of them & after fighting off another as a test, he's welcomed w/open arms. During one of their raids, the pirates scourge a ship carrying a sultan's daughter, Alice Kelley, whose den mother, Mildred Natwick, tries to hide amongst her other ladies in waiting. Falling for Flynn's charms however, Kelley reveals her identity (after a passionate kiss, I hate it when that happens!), so Flynn not only has to get a map of the pirates' defenses to the forces of good but also keep tabs on Kelley (at one point he buys her when she's put up for sale at a slave market). The end finds the pirates being besieged by the law w/a final knockdown sword fight between Flynn & Quinn (against a melee of Quinn's men fighting for their lives) to wrap up the film. Pretty good for a Flynn actioner only let down by some silly humor seeping in from the sidelines but seeing our favorite man of action donning a sword & a quip is enough for the masses. Another side note, I wonder if O'Hara was being groomed to be an action star (she also appeared in the Three Musketeers in the 50's strutting her stuff) because here she holds her own against all comers & no one bats an eye.
Review of Against All Flags
