What kind of ruler allows someone like that to dispense justice? Captain Blood was directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted by Casey Robinson from the Rafael Sabatini novel. It stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander and Lionel Atwill. Erich Wolfgang Korngold scored the music, and Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr handled the photography. The story takes place in 1685 England, where Dr. Peter Blood (Flynn) is wrongly convicted of treason against the King. Avoiding execution, Blood and other supposed rebels are sold into slavery at the English colony of Port Royal. Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), a kind woman, purchases him, and he becomes the local governor’s physician. When the Spanish attack the town, Blood and his companions take advantage to commandeer a Spanish ship and escape... And so Captain Blood began his career as a pirate…with a ship, a few men, and intelligence. It's interesting to consider how different things might have been if Robert Donat had accepted the part of Captain Blood. Flynn stepped in at the last minute, becoming a charismatic star and giving classic cinema some truly exciting adventure films that still entertain audiences today. The film also helped showcase de Havilland’s talent; this was the first of eight movies she made with Flynn. Though Warner Brothers took something of a risk with it, the movie wasn't particularly expensive to make, which makes it all the more impressive that Curtiz and his team created such an entertaining and lively picture. Even though Flynn is clearly the main focus, and this does overshadow some of the other characters who end up feeling like onlookers, much of Captain Blood’s success can be attributed to Robinson's screenplay. The film runs a little over two hours and is packed with action, plot developments, and references to 17th-century British royalty, skillfully divided into two parts by Curtiz. The first half introduces the main characters and events, showing how an innocent man gets caught up in a tense political situation and forced to become an outlaw. This leads to the second part, where Blood becomes a feared pirate before ultimately returning to a life of normalcy and contentment with those he loves. Throughout this journey from piracy back to respectability, the film is full of spectacular moments. Whether it's Flynn’s sword fighting or swinging on ropes, or the sight of cannons firing during ship battles, Curtiz keeps the pace moving quickly and the excitement high. The chemistry between Flynn and de Haviland also works well right away, as do the wonderfully sinister performances by Atwill and Rathbone. There are plenty of stunts, and while the sets are sometimes simple, Curtiz and his cinematographers maximize the impact with a style reminiscent of Expressionism. All of this is accompanied by Korngold’s powerful score. Flynn would later have even better roles in "The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)" and "The Sea Hawk (1940)," but Captain Blood remains the defining example. 9/10

Source on TMDB