Piracy at its best!

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2003)

`Yo! Ho! Ho! A pirate's movie is not for me!' I always said every time I watched a torturous pirate film. In fact, the most pleasurable live pirate episodes I have experienced were the ones where some of my compadres seized their mate's stunning girlfriends in several happy hour watering holes. In fact, that can lead to pirate `eye-for-an-eye' warfare where it turns out too difficult for friends to patch things up. Anyway, back to pirate films. I am astonished but glad to report that `Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' has broken the curse of horrendous pirate flicks. The film is based on the Disney attraction ride, and the movie does not derail from its voyage of cinematic cleverness. Johnny Depp stars as Jack Sparrow, a charismatic pirate who is on a quest to regain his old ship `The Black Pearl'. Johnny be very good with his oscar-worthy performance as Sparrow. With this work, Johnny has paid his Depps I mean debts to those critics who have condemned him for not selecting roles in more commercially appealing films. It is one of the best acting pieces of the year! Co-star Orlando Bloom is blooming into a star with his role as the Blacksmith on a quest to rescue the Governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann. Speaking of which, Keira KnightleyÂ‘s breakthrough performance as Elizabeth was also commendable. Geoffrey Rush as the evil pirate continues to demonstrate his scene-stealing ability to portray scoundrel antagonists. Director Gore Verbinski provided just the right touch of Goreism for it to be a Gore candidate as the best film he has directed. `Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' is the pirate film for me! So guys take your hoe hoe hoe (sorry ladies) to watch this jewel and you will see that this pirate film is for you too. **** Good