Swashbuckler

For once Robert Shaw got a leading role in a film, and guess what? It SUCKS! He spent most all of his acting career playing the bad guy. He played the blonde headed Nazi in Battle Of The Bulge, Red Grant in From Russia With Love, and the subway terrorist in The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3-. Shaw will always be know for his role as Quint in Jaws from here on out. A role that was turned down by Lee Marvin, because he had a prior engagement at the time. If you ever have a chance to see Custer Of The West, a 1968 Siodak film. Shaw does his best Pre-Quint trying to explain to why the Indian War was necessary. Of course Custer dies just like Quint in a battle he can't win.

Swashbuckler was directed by James Goldstone, who tries real hard to make this effort a Errol Flynn feel good pirate film like The Seahawk and Captain Blood. Robert Shaw plays Captain "Red Ned" Lynch, a man feared by the English Empire in 1718 Jamaica. What kills this movie is the main bad guy Lord Durant, played by Peter Boyle. He acts about as much British as he did in Young Frankenstein. The other non British bad guy of this movie is the British commander, Major Foley, who is played by Beau Bridges, who is simply terrible. Slapstick is used too much, and it is really not funny at all. James Earl Jones plays Shaw friend, Nick DeBrett that he saves from a public hanging at the beginning of this movie. This of course makes all the bad guys want to kill Red Ned.

This film has a couple of good sword fights in it, but that's about all. Once again Shaw , who was the only clear spot of the film got the bad end of the deal, and ended up a poorly directed and produced piece of film garbage. Robert Shaw died in 1978 from a heart attack. Obviously from making films like this. Leaving a third wife and 10 children behind in his wake of wasted talent.