My dad thought the horses were magnificent.

“I love westerns! This is awesome!”

One of those movies where giving it a star rating is arbitrary. While I prefer The Crimson Pirate, it feels like a more refined, follow up to this outting. The Flame and the Arrow is a joyously assembled, wildly entertaining swashbuckling picture, that further cements what a brilliant leading man Burt Lancaster was. He and Nick Cravat have to be one of the great big-screen pairings; their chemistry and dual choreography is nothing short of dynamite.

It really is a shame that what starts as a beautifully human story from a unique perspective, climaxes as a boringly nihilistic story anyone could tell.

Perhaps one of the most purely entertaining movies I’ve ever seen, The Crimson Pirate feels like the Technicolor successor to Captain Blood, and an achievement in family friendly entertainment that is credible as a showcase for genuine acrobatic skill and action filmmaking. There’s nothing like classic swashbuckling adventure films. Burt Lancaster was the man, and Nick Cravat may be one of the great cinematic wingmans, short kings, and silent comedic relief personas.