Captain Kidd

In the late 17th century, off the coast of Madagascar, Captain William Kidd and his band of pirates attack Admiral Lord Blayne and the crew of H.M.S. The Twelve Apostles and set the frigate on fire. Then, before heading back to England, the ruthless Kidd and his men bury their ill-gotten treasure in a cave, intending to return for it sometime in the future. Three years later, in London, Kidd, who poses as an honest ship's captain based in New York, is granted an audience with King William III. Kidd offers to escort the treasure-filled Quadagh Merchant on its upcoming voyage through pirate-infested waters, and convinces the king that his crew should be made up of condemned pirates who have been promised a royal pardon in exchange for their services on the dangerous trip. The socially ambitious Kidd also suggests that if he can prove that the missing Admiral Blayne turned to piracy, as has been rumored, he will be allowed to assume Blayne's crest and estate. After the king agrees to Kidd's plan, Kidd and his right-hand men, Cyprian Boyle and Jose Lorenzo, arrange to have the imprisoned pirates released. Among the convicts is Adam Mercy, who impresses Kidd with his intelligence and sophisticated manners. Learning that Adam had previously worked as a master gunner on a pirate ship, Kidd assigns him the same job, making him an officer. Just as Kidd's ship, the H.M.S Adventure Galley , is to set sail, Kidd is startled by the appearance of Orange Povey, a ship's surgeon, whom Kidd had abandoned on a coral reef near Madagascar and presumed dead. Povey insists that Kidd take him along and warns him that he has left with a friend a letter exposing Kidd as a pirate, which the friend will make public should anything untoward befall Povey. Once at sea, Kidd, who has brought along valet Cary Shadwell to instruct him in the ways of a gentleman, demands that his officers dine with him and becomes angry when Adam refuses to toast the king. Adam's apparent hatred of the king makes Kidd suspect that he is actually the king's spy, and he instructs Shadwell to question Adam about his background. The honest Shadwell reveals Kidd's suspicions to Adam, who tells the valet to report that he is a "nobody." Later, Kidd, who wants all of the treasure for himself, cuts the ropes to the ship's yard and causes it to fall on top of Boyle, killing him. His suspicions aroused, Adam sneaks into Kidd's cabin and finds both a pirate flag and a ring with the Blayne seal on it. When Kidd catches him with the ring, Adam declares that he is, in fact, a spy for the king, but offers to keep quiet for a cut of the treasure. Soon after, Kidd, Lorenzo, Povey and Adam board the Quadagh Merchant and, while Kidd frightens the ship's captain with stories of pirate encounters, Lorenzo plants a slow-burning fuse next to the ship's gunpowder barrels and lights it. As hoped, Kidd is asked to transport the Quadagh treasure, as well as passengers Lady Anne Falconer and her father, Lord John. As soon as the treasure is loaded onto the Adventure Galley , Kidd kills Lord John in another apparent accident. The Quadagh then explodes, killing everyone onboard. Later, Anne's fears are aroused when Shadwell discloses that the Adventure Galley never encountered any pirates. Shadwell encourages her to confide in Adam, who finally confesses that he is Lord Blayne's son and has been posing as a pirate in an effort to clear his name. After Adam advises Anne to be friendly with Kidd, the lecherous Lorenzo, who has offered Kidd his share of the booty in exchange for Anne, bursts into her cabin and attacks her. Adam comes to her defense, as does Kidd, who has vowed to deliver Anne safely home in order to assure his longed-for peerage. Adam finally forces Lorenzo overboard at swordpoint, and after the fight, Kidd finds a broken medallion with the Blayne crest on it and deduces that Adam is a Blayne. Kidd then takes Adam and Povey with him to the cave in which The Twelve Apostles treasure is buried. Once the treasure is unearthed, Kidd reveals that he is aware of Adam's identity. During the ensuing fight, Povey pushes Adam over a cliff and into shark-infested waters. Sure that Adam is dead, Kidd and Povey return to the ship, but soon after, Adam sneaks aboard, grabs Anne and steals a rowboat. Kidd and Povey fire on the fleeing couple and kill Shadwell when he tries to protect them. Although the boat is destroyed, Anne and Adam are unharmed and swim to shore. Later, in London, Kidd reports to King William that he found nothing regarding Lord Blayne during his voyage. To his dismay, the king reveals that The Twelve Apostles treasure has been recovered from Kidd's ship and that Anne and Adam are alive. After Anne and Adam accuse Kidd of piracy, Kidd is executed. The king then rewards Adam with his own frigate and names it the Lady Anne in honor of the couple's upcoming nuptials.