Review of Pirates of Tortuga

Tortuga is a small , mostly rocky, island, off the north coast of Haiti. During the 'Golden age of piracy', it was a notorious hangout for pirates, continuously fought over by the Spanish, French and British. In this tale, there are basically two questions that constitute the plot 1) Is Captain Paxton(Ken Scott) going to be successful in his mission to destroy Captain Morgan's recent pirate empire, centered on Tortuga, that has brought the British colony of Jamaica to its knees? 2)What will be the ultimate fate of the accidental stowaway barefoot wildcat Meg(Leticia Roman). Dealing with her antics is the centerpiece of the first half of the film, during the transatlantic crossing to Jamaica. It's clear this flirtaceous street urchin lacks the graces of a traditional lady. Various of the crew try to instruct her on some of the graces of a lady, with mixed success. Fortunately, Paxton has a stock of lady's garments in a chest in his cabin, which keeps Meg, as well as the crew, entertained, seeing how she looks as a lady. The captain even gives her an heirloom necklace, having belonged to his mother. When the ship arrives at Jamaica, it's reluctantly agreed that she will disembark to find her fortune there, or somewhere else. However, fate soon brings her to the attention of the governor, who believes she is a lady, by her dress, and becomes accustomed to her as she recuperates in his mansion. He even proposes marriage to this young thing, and she accepts initially. But, eventually, it comes out that she was not raised as a lady, and in fact is enamored with Paxton, who seemingly hasn't yet made up his mind about her.....After overtaking the crew of one of Morgan's pirate ships, by trickery, Paxton pretends to make a partnership with Morgan, in which he will sell Morgan's large stash of booty in Jamaica and give half the profit to Morgan. However, Paxton then makes a deal with the governor, in which the governor will supply a number of warships and men for an invasion of Morgan's compound. This is immediately put into action. A complex plan of attack is organized, with Paxton going alone to infiltrate to the munitions room. He finds the barrels of gunpowder and lights a fuse to one. But before he can escape, Morgan, himself, enters and they have a sword fight, while the fuse is burning. Unfortunately, the powder explodes before they are finished, and essentially destroys the fort. Strangely, at the same time, the cannons on the wall explode! Seethe film(available at YouTube) to learn the unlikely and incomplete finale......The production values are good, if some of the events are unlikely. The inclusion of Leticia, as a frequently present character, is a definite plus, spicing up an otherwise humdrum story.