Along with Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk completes a grand trilogy of Flynn Swashbucklers and forever cemented his role as the king of that genre. Rousing action and grand battle scenes highlight this film as Flynn plays Captain Thorpe, an English privateer who is secretly given permission by Queen Elizabeth to attack Spanish ships in anticipation of war between the two countries. To the rest of the world, Thorpe is still a pirate, however.

The specatacular opening sequence has Thorpe and his crew capturing a Spanish Galleon and taking the booty back to England. Thorpe soon finds himself attracted to the daughter of Spain's new ambassador Dona Maria Alvarez de Cordoba played by Brenda Marshall, making for some fun scenes. But England's devious Lord Wolfingham is in league with the Spanish and helps set a trap for Thorpe and his crew, ultimately capturing them and chaining them aboard a Spanish ship. Thorpe and his crew must now free themselves and hope to get back to England to help rescue them from the Spanish attack.

Flora Robson is absolutely brilliant as Queen Elizabeth, capturing the look that we've always seen in paintings of that famous ruler. Flynn's good friend and drinking buddy Alan Hale again is along for the ride as first mate Carl Pitt. The chemistry between these two was always magnificent. The only real cast weak link was Henry Daniell as Lord Wolfingham. He simply could not compete with Basil Rathbone as Flynn's villianous foe.

The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, one of the finest directors of the 30's and 40's and who had already directed Flynn in Captain Blood, Charge of the Light Brigade, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. He and Flynn often clashed but there's no denying that Curtiz always got the best out of Flynn.

A marvelous and fun movie from the golden age of Hollywood!