Captain Kidd (1945)

38% of users liked it
(1,928 ratings)

It's every man for himself when Charles Laughton bites into the role of infamous 17th century pirate captain William Kidd. Hoping to further increase his ill-gotten gains, Captain Kidd inveigles King William III (Henry Daniel) into appointing him the "patriotic" protector of a valuable treasure… More It's every man for himself when Charles Laughton bites into the role of infamous 17th century pirate captain William Kidd. Hoping to further increase his ill-gotten gains, Captain Kidd inveigles King William III (Henry Daniel) into appointing him the "patriotic" protector of a valuable treasure ship. Ostensibly hired to fend off enemy vessels, Kidd intends to steal the ship's cargo for himself with the aid of his swarthy lieutenants William Moore (Gilbert Roland) and Orange Povy (John Carradine). The romantic subplot is carried by "honest" brigand Adam Merry (Randolph Scott) and kidnapped noblewoman Lady Ann Falconer (Barbara Britton). Charles Laughton reprised his part in the 1952 farce Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Rowland V. Lee
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1945 Wide
On DVD: May 22, 2001
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Sails the high seas on Charles Laughton's sea legs.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Laughton is good, but the film is a cheap, tepid affair that drove its director to quit movies.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

Charles Laughton is NOT one of my favorite actors. I usually find him dull and boring. The only film he's in that I actually enjoyed was Island of Lost Souls, but that had more to do with the film's atmosphere and that Laughton was well-cast in the role. While he gave a good… More
Charles Laughton is NOT one of my favorite actors. I usually find him dull and boring. The only film he's in that I actually enjoyed was Island of Lost Souls, but that had more to do with the film's atmosphere and that Laughton was well-cast in the role. While he gave a good performance, it had more to do with Laughton as a person that influenced that performance, which is what made it good. I can't say I'm incredibly impressed with Randolph Scott either. I suppose if put in the right role, like Laughton, he'd pull something off good. This all leads me into Captain Kidd, which is about as boring as watching paint dry. The performances are terrible, the story is boring and meanders all over the place and there's really no high seas adventure, which is implied on the film's poster. It's just a boring mess, and I wanted it to end long before it even reached its halfway point. In other words, this is one of the most skippable movies you'll never see.
jay n

With that cast it should have been better. Just sort of chugs along without the sense of derring do required for this kind of adventure. Scott looks ridiculous dressed up as a pirate, Laughton does his best but this is just blah.
Alexander W

The acting is fairly good, and there is a lot of it. Don't be suprised not to find too much "high seas adventure" but more trasure and plunder. Black and White. focused more on story than much else. but with some beautiful scenes none the less.
Sarah P

Would never watch this again.