The film’s most memorable performance comes from Charles Laughton as the title character, tasked by King Charles II (Henry Daniell) with guiding a ship carrying riches from India. It’s akin to putting a youngster in charge of a candy store; "Kidd" has his own plans, but they don't align with those of the crew he leads, a group of unsavory characters. Randolph Scott feels oddly out of place as “Adam Mercy,” who posses…

A long time ago, when ships were sturdy and the sailors who manned them were equally so, came Captain Kidd. The film, directed by Rowland V. Lee and written by Norman Reilly Raine from a story by Robert N. Lee, features Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, and John Carradine, with music by Werner Janssen and cinematography by Archie Stout. The movie takes place in the late 1600s and focuses on Captai…