"Captain Kidd" is not so much a swashbuckler as it is a crime movie.Basically it's a heist flick about human greed and treachery and with its somewhat cynical tone, dark humor and all the plot twists and duplicity and murder ( this movie has a hell of a bodycount) not to mention the mostly dark cinematography it is pretty much the definition of film noir. And one other thing, nobody but NOBODY does villiany as deliciously well as Charles Laughton!

This costume drama is worth watching for the lovely, 26-year-old, Barbara Britton. This Californian went on to star in television's Mr. & Mrs. North.

Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, John Carradine and Barbara Britton star in this classic film. An engaging story, excellent acting, interesting characters and a very acceptable music score (by Werner janssen) make for pleasurable viewing. I recommend this film to anyone who loves classic movies from any generation.

All the characters acted true to their roles; Captain Kidd was uniquely portrayed in the detestable characterization of the mad and evil pirate who in denial of his own nature, craved a sort of nobility for himself.

Vince's essay below, in all its length, failed to mention the one greatest B&W movie of all times-----"Witness For The Prosecution", and is still available for your viewing pleasure (as of Jan 31 2011). Charles Laughton is equally spectacular in both movies ,as expected. These older movies are great, but not because they are in B&W. It represents that era of great stories and great acting (as all the comments well note). I've been watching Charlie Chan, The Bowery Boys (East Side Kids), Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel (before joining Hardy) and I'm reminded of just how great theses movies are, even today.
Captain Kidd and Witness For The Prosecution are classics, but then again they are from a classic era.

I love black and white movies. They are consistently my most favorite on Hulu -- and a big part of that is because black and white films tend to come from aged retail concerns and such (and perhaps even retail value). But in irony, they remain frequently superiod films in every regard. Examples would be Dr. Strangelove ('62), The Train ('65), and Paper Moon ('73?). But only the second just listed is still available on Hulu (bring the others back). The value of quality black and white films still has some weight. And this is another -- still available for the time being. And another irony is that I expected to get amused beyond tolerance at aged storytelling like that of Captain Kidd. I didn't think I'd want to watch it all before it started and I gave it a chance. The opposite happened. I got seriously into this film. And it is the actor who plays Captain Kidd that sells this movie. Over time, as the story develops, he is a very absorbing, unexpected (even for pirate class), and immeasurably humorous -- yet evil. Just one example would be his multiple verbal epitaths at the burials of his multiple vicitms. In each case, he starts out describing his victims so wonderfully, only to launch an unabashed verbal pissing on their graves. It's near spectacular. I would never know the name of Charles Laughton without this film, perhaps, but I think now I won't ever forget it. Thanks, Hulu. Bear with the oft overly melodramatic music, and a thoughtful viewer will likely find a lot of entertainment in this film..