Synopsis: The rollicking, unconventional swashbuckler PIRATES is Roman Polanski's take on a genre heretofore unexplored by the director: the action-adventure movie. Walter Matthau dons a British accent as Captain Red, the most fearsome pirate on the seven seas--a part Polanski had originally... The rollicking, unconventional swashbuckler PIRATES is Roman Polanski's take on a genre heretofore unexplored by the director: the action-adventure movie. Walter Matthau dons a British accent as Captain Red, the most fearsome pirate on the seven seas--a part Polanski had originally conceived for Jack Nicholson after their successful collaboration on CHINATOWN in 1974. Red and his sidekick, a hot-headed young Frenchman known only as "the Frog" (Cris Campion) find their way aboard a Spanish galleon (a stunning replica of a 17th Century ship constructed for the movie at a cost of $8 million) and discover an ancient golden Aztec throne hidden away under the deck. The two pirates instigate a mutiny, enlisting the help of the disgruntled crew to take over the ship and gain possession of the treasure, but the encounter multifarious distractions, such as the Frog unexpectedly falling for a young noblewoman (Charlotte Lewis) on board who also happens to be the second mate's (Damien Thomas) fiancée. Things don't go exactly as planned. PIRATES is jolly good fun, with Polanski demonstrating his usual flair for the absurd and the offbeat. [More]