100 Best Pirate Movies of All Time
I found 31 different ranked lists online of “best pirate movies of all time” and averaged them all to create this list. My full results and methodology are on my website: https://www.listobsession.com/best-pirate-movies/
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- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnOlivia de HavillandLionel AtwillAfter treating a Monmouth rebel against King James II in 1680s England, a young Irish doctor is exiled as a slave to Jamaica where he captures a Spanish galleon and becomes the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsBobby DriscollRobert NewtonBasil SydneyThe treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate captain Long John Silver.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDustin HoffmanRobin WilliamsJulia RobertsWhen Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppOrlando BloomKeira KnightleyJack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well.
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsTom HanksBarkhad AbdiBarkhad AbdirahmanThe true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsSean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenA group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppOrlando BloomKeira KnightleyCaptain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, find Jack Sparrow, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.
- DirectorBrian HensonStarsTim CurryBilly ConnollyJennifer SaundersThe Muppets set sail in search of treasure, with Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.
- DirectorClyde GeronimiWilfred JacksonHamilton LuskeStarsBobby DriscollKathryn BeaumontHans ConriedWendy and her brothers are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland with the hero of their stories, Peter Pan.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsErrol FlynnBrenda MarshallClaude RainsGeoffrey Thorpe, a buccaneer, is hired by Queen Elizabeth I to nag the Spanish Armada. The Armada is waiting for the attack on England and Thorpe surprises them with attacks on their galleons where he shows his skills on the sword.
- DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterNick CravatEva BartokDuring the 1700s, pirate Captain Vallo seizes a British warship and gets involved in various money-making schemes involving Caribbean rebels led by El Libre, British envoy Baron Jose Gruda, and a beautiful courtesan named Consuelo.
- DirectorRon ClementsJohn MuskerStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittEmma ThompsonMartin ShortJim Hawkins is a teenager who finds the map of a great treasure hidden by a space pirate. Together with some friends, he sets off in a large spaceship, shaped like a caravel, on his quest.
- DirectorJoachim RønningEspen SandbergStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushJavier BardemCaptain Jack Sparrow searches for the Trident of Poseidon to rule the sea while being pursued by old rival Captain Salazar and a crew of deadly ghosts who have escaped from the Devil's Triangle.
- DirectorRob MarshallStarsJohnny DeppPenélope CruzIan McShaneJack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.
- DirectorPeter LordJeff NewittStarsHugh GrantSalma HayekJeremy PivenPirate Captain sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRussell CrowePaul BettanyBilly BoydDuring the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsTyrone PowerMaureen O'HaraLaird CregarAn ex-pirate contends with rowdy buccaneers and a love/hate relationship with an aristocratic woman who's tougher than she seems.
- DirectorMichael CurtizWilliam KeighleyStarsErrol FlynnOlivia de HavillandBasil RathboneWhen Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence in 1190s England, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a resistance movement.
- DirectorP.J. HoganStarsJeremy SumpterJason IsaacsOlivia WilliamsThe Darling family children receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Never Never Land where an ongoing war with the evil Pirate Captain Hook is taking place.
- DirectorAnthony QuinnStarsYul BrynnerClaire BloomCharles BoyerDuring the War of 1812, Louisiana buccaneer Jean Lafitte assists the Americans in defending New Orleans against the attacking British war fleet.
- DirectorWilford LeachStarsKevin KlineAngela LansburyLinda RonstadtAfter a young man leaves a band of pirates, hilarity ensues.
- DirectorFrank LloydStarsMilton SillsEnid BennettLloyd HughesA wrongly-convicted English gentleman goes from galley slave to pirate captain.
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsGeena DavisMatthew ModineFrank LangellaA female pirate and her companion race against their rivals to find a hidden island that contains a fabulous treasure.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsJean PetersLouis JourdanDebra PagetIn order to recover his ship impounded by the British, former pirate captain LaRochelle agrees to spy on the notorious Caribbean Sea pirates Blackbeard and Anne Providence.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsJohn MillsDorothy McGuireJames MacArthurA Swiss family must survive being shipwrecked on a deserted island.
- DirectorAlbert ParkerStarsDouglas FairbanksBillie DoveTempe PigottSeeking revenge, an athletic young man joins the pirate band responsible for his father's death.
- DirectorVictor FlemingStarsWallace BeeryJackie CooperLionel BarrymoreYoung Jim Hawkins is torn between his loyalty to his benefactors and his affection for lovable rogue Long John Silver in their struggle to recover a buried pirate treasure.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsWalter MatthauCris CampionDamien ThomasThe adventures of pirate Captain Red and his first mate Frog.
- DirectorDavid CherkasskiyStarsValeriy BessarabArmen DzhigarkhanyanViktor AndrienkoCartoon adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous adventure novel.
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsAntonio BanderasCatherine Zeta-JonesRufus SewellDespite trying to keep his swashbuckling to a minimum, a threat to California's pending statehood causes the adventure-loving Don Alejandro de la Vega and his wife, Elena, to take action.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsMayumi TanakaKeiko YokozawaKotoe HatsuiA young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsKirk DouglasJames MasonPaul LukasA ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
- DirectorRobert StevensonStarsPeter UstinovDean JonesSuzanne PleshetteAn unassuming track coach accidentally invokes the spirit of a notorious pirate long believed dead, and who must now team up to lay the pirate to rest, and save a local hotel from a mobster.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsShûichirô MoriyamaTokiko KatôBunshi Katsura VIIn 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresChiwetel EjioforThe crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.
- DirectorRouben MamoulianStarsTyrone PowerLinda DarnellBasil RathboneA young Spanish aristocrat must masquerade as a fop in order to maintain his secret identity of Zorro as he restores justice to early California.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsKevin CostnerJeanne TripplehornDennis HopperIn a future where the polar ice-caps have melted and Earth is almost entirely submerged, a mutated mariner fights starvation and outlaw "smokers," and reluctantly helps a woman and a young girl try to find dry land.
- DirectorFraser C. HestonStarsCharlton HestonChristian BaleOliver ReedThe treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate Captain Long John Silver.
- DirectorAlexander MackendrickStarsAnthony QuinnJames CoburnDennis PriceIn 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling but their ship is taken over by pirates who become fond of the kids.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsErrol FlynnMaureen O'HaraAnthony QuinnBrian Hawke of the Royal Navy versus the pirates of Madagascar.
- DirectorFerdinand FairfaxStarsTommy Lee JonesMichael O'KeefeMax PhippsA swashbuckling adventure which takes place in the mid-1800's on the South Pacific islands where bloody raids and battles were once the rule of the day.
- DirectorMel DamskiStarsGraham ChapmanPeter BoyleCheech MarinAfter serving two decades in prison, Yellowbeard (Graham Chapman) breaks out determined to recover the treasure that he buried so long ago, alongside his son, old crew, and the British Navy.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsLevi MillerHugh JackmanGarrett HedlundTwelve-year-old orphan Peter is spirited away to the magical world of Neverland, where he finds both fun and danger, and ultimately discovers his destiny: to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsMichael CaineDavid WarnerAngela Punch McGregorA journalist takes his son with him to investigate pirate activity off the coast of Florida. But he gets stranded on a mysterious island--where he might not be alone.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsRobert NewtonLinda DarnellWilliam BendixHonest Edward Maynard finds himself serving as ship's surgeon under the infamous pirate Blackbeard.
- DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsStewart GrangerJanet LeighEleanor ParkerIn France during the late 18th Century, a man sets out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of a master swordsman.
- DirectorRandall WallaceStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJeremy IronsJohn MalkovichThe cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother whom he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?
- DirectorPeter ButlerCraig SchaeferStarsJon EnglishHelen DonaldsonToni LamondFrederic was sent in the care of his nursemaid, Ruth, to be apprenticed to a pilot. But she misunderstood her instructions, being hard of hearing, and apprenticed him instead to the Pirate King.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsCharles LaughtonRandolph ScottBarbara BrittonThe unhistorical adventures of pirate Captain Kidd revolve around treasure and treachery.
- DirectorJohn HoughAndrea BianchiAntonio MargheritiStarsOrson WellesKim BurfieldLionel StanderYoung Jim Hawkins has an unforgettable encounter with pirate Captain Long John Silver and his murderous mates.
- DirectorMelvin FrankNorman PanamaStarsDanny KayeGlynis JohnsBasil RathboneA hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsJudy GarlandGene KellyWalter SlezakA girl is engaged to the local rich man, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsAlec GuinnessDirk BogardeMaurice DenhamOn the H.M.S. Defiant, during the French Revolutionary War, fair Captain Crawford is locked in a battle of wills against his cruel second-in-command Lieutenant Scott-Padget, whose heavy-handed command style pushes the crew to mutiny.
- DirectorPeggy HolmesStarsMae WhitmanChristina HendricksTom HiddlestonWhen Zarina steals Pixie Hollow's Blue Pixie Dust and flies away, Tinker Bell and her friends sets on a journey to get them back.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsSydney ArnoldGuy BertrandAndrew BicknellA group of down-and-out accountants mutiny against their bosses and sail their office building onto the high seas in search of a pirate's life.
- DirectorPhilippe de BrocaStarsDaniel AuteuilFabrice LuchiniVincent PerezThe Comte de Gonzague schemes against his cousin, the Duc de Nevers, even though he is the Duke's heir and will inherit his estates. The Count has kept secret the existence of the Duke's bastard, recently born. When the Duke learns of his child, he journeys to wed the mother, a baron's daughter, in her father's isolated chateau. The occupants of the castle are surprised and murdered by the Count and his men. The only ones to escape are the Duke's friend, the skilled swordsman Lagardère, and the infant, a girl, now the rightful heiress to the Duke's vast fortune. The Count believes the pair to have drowned, when in fact they have been concealed by a travelling troupe of Italian players. Twenty years pass. The Count has discovered that the two survive and seeks to have them slain. But Lagardère gains the confidence of the Count, and employment as his bookkeeper, through his clever disguise as a hunch-back...
- DirectorPhilippa LowthorpeStarsBobby McCullochDane HughesKelly MacdonaldFour children (the Swallows) on holiday in the Lake District sail on their own to an island and start a war with rival children (the Amazons). In the meantime, a mysterious man on a houseboat accuses them of a crime they did not commit.
- DirectorRichard WallaceStarsDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Maureen O'HaraWalter SlezakIn medieval Persia, during the rule of Caliph Harun-Al-Rashid, Sinbad the Sailor boasts about his latest adventures to his friends.
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsGeraldine ChaplinBernadette LafontKika MarkhamOn an island beach a woman vows to avenge her brother's death at the hands of a pirate leader. With help, the woman spies on the pirates and then gets a job as bodyguard to the pirate leader.
- DirectorWolfgang ReithermanDavid HandStarsBrian BedfordPhil HarrisRoger MillerThe story of the legendary British outlaw portrayed with the characters as anthropomorphic animals.
- DirectorLorenzo Gicca PalliStarsTerence HillSilvia MontiJorge MartínCaptain Blackie conceives a plan to acquire a shipment of Spanish gold after he discovers about it when he stumbles upon Don Pedro. Three other pirate captains want the gold for themselves and try to foil Blackie's plan.
- DirectorRalph MurphyStarsLouis HaywardPatricia MedinaJohn SuttonIn 1690, pardoned pirate Captain Blood's quiet existence is shaken when the Crown re-arrests him on fresh piracy charges but the captain suspects he's being set up.
- DirectorBryan BuckleyStarsAl PacinoEvan PetersMelanie GriffithIn 2008, rookie journalist Jay Bahadur forms a half-baked plan to embed himself with the pirates of Somalia. He ultimately succeeds in providing the first close-up look into who these men are, how they live, and the forces that drive them.
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettClive OwenGeoffrey RushA mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.
- DirectorJackie ChanSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsJackie ChanSammo Kam-Bo HungBiao YuenFighting against pirates at the turn of the 20th century, the Hong Kong navy are failing miserably. It's up to Sergeant Lung (Jackie Chan) to take matters into his own hands.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsLouis HaywardPatricia MedinaGeorge MacreadyWhen some of his crew are captured by the Spaniards in Rio De La Hacha, pirate Captain Peter Blood enters the city in disguise in order to free his men from Marquis De Riconete's prison.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsKevin CostnerMorgan FreemanMary Elizabeth MastrantonioRobin Hood decides to fight back as an outlaw when faced with the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsStewart GrangerGeorge SandersJoan GreenwoodA young orphan is sent to the village of Moonfleet in Dorset, England to stay with his mother's former lover, who has the facade of a gentleman but leads a gang of swashbuckling bootleggers; the duo go on a treasure hunt.
- DirectorStewart RaffillStarsRobert UrichMary CrosbyMichael D. RobertsIn a distant future scarce of water, space pirates get caught after stealing ice from a spaceship. They are sold to a princess looking for her dad. He might have found a planet abundant with water.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsChristopher LeeAndrew KeirJohn CairneyA damaged privateer deserts the Spanish Armada and makes land for repairs near a village on the British coast, terrorizing the local inhabitants.
- DirectorJohn GillingStarsKerwin MathewsGlenn CorbettChristopher LeeA group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.
- DirectorSeok-hoon LeeStarsKim Nam-gilSon Ye-jinYoo Hae-jinA band of pirates and a group of bandits fight to catch a gray whale that has swallowed a royal stamp.
- StarsMichael AndeJacques DacqmineGeorges RiquierAs a young boy finds an old map of a treasure island in the mid 1700s, he joins a sailing crew on an adventure to find the treasure island. He does not realize however that bloodthirsty pirates are amongst the crew, desperately wanting to claim the treasure for themselves and are secretly planning a mutiny... Beautifully created adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel 'Treasure Island', created for German/French television in 1966.
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsJoan FontaineArturo de CórdovaBasil RathboneAn English lady falls madly in love with a French pirate.
- DirectorAllen H. MinerStarsAnthony DexterMartha RothLon Chaney Jr.Pirates searching for treasure take over a small town in Central America where they believe the loot is buried, but discover that a church has been built over the spot. They force the townspeople to dig for it, but there are more surprises in store for them than they counted on.
- DirectorSidney SalkowStarsJohn PayneDonna ReedGerald MohrA legendary pirate captures a Spanish galleon and tries to claim a countess as his bride.
- DirectorFrederick De CordovaStarsJeff ChandlerScott BradySuzan BallCaptain David Porter of the fledgling American Navy receives orders to masquerade as a privateer in order to corral some Caribbean pirates.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsJim CaviezelGuy PearceChristopher AdamsonA young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
- DirectorJames GoldstoneStarsRobert ShawJames Earl JonesPeter BoyleA pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsGregory PeckVirginia MayoRobert BeattyDuring the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.
- CreatorRamón CamposGema R. NeiraStarsIvana BaqueroJon KortajarenaAlejandra OnievaTwo sisters discover disturbing family secrets after a string of mysterious deaths occur on a luxury ship traveling from Spain to Brazil in the 1940s.
- StarsKeira KnightleyCharlotte AtkinsonAnna FrielSome places may look familiar. Some characters may ring a bell. But in this world, where time stands still, an adventure awaits like none you've ever seen before.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsLiam NeesonJessica LangeJohn HurtIn 1713 Scotland, Rob Roy MacGregor is wronged by a nobleman and his nephew, becomes an outlaw in search of revenge while fleeing the Redcoats, and faces charges of being a Jacobite.
- StarsBarnaby KayElijah WoodMadhur MittalIn 1765, young English boy Jim Hawkins gets involved with buccaneers during his quest to find pirate Captain Flint's treasure buried on a secret island.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsOliver ReedRaquel WelchRichard ChamberlainA young swordsman comes to Paris and faces villains, romance, adventure and intrigue with three Musketeer friends.
- DirectorTomoharu KatsumataStarsMakio InoueKei TomiyamaYûjirô IshiharaSpace captain Harlock, the latest in a family of proud aerial warriors, begins his journey to free the oppressed Earth from the despotic Illumidas Command.
- DirectorMike NawrockiStarsTim HodgeMike NawrockiPhil VischerThree vegetable friends seek the roots of true heroism during a 17th-century adventure.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsMichael YorkRaquel WelchOliver ReedThe Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
- DirectorVladimir VorobyovStarsFyodor StukovOleg BorisovViktor KostetskiyPirates and gentlemen in pursuit of a dead man's chest: a detailed screen adaptation of Stevenson's novel, filmed in the USSR.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsSean ConneryAudrey HepburnRobert ShawRobin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneCarol ReedGeorge SeatonStarsMarlon BrandoTrevor HowardRichard HarrisIn 1787, British ship Bounty leaves Portsmouth to bring a cargo of bread-fruit from Tahiti but the savage on-board conditions imposed by Captain Bligh trigger a mutiny led by officer Fletcher Christian.
- DirectorByron HaskinStarsRobert NewtonConnie GilchristLloyd BerrellIn this sequel to Treasure Island, Long John hopes to rescue his friend Jim from a rival pirate and return for more treasure.
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsAntonio BanderasAnthony HopkinsCatherine Zeta-JonesA young thief seeking revenge for his brother's death is trained by the once-great, aging Zorro, who is pursuing his own vengeance.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsSean ConneryShelley DuvallJohn CleeseA young boy accidentally joins a band of time travelling dwarves, as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanBill NighyNick FrostA band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetThomas CarrStarsBuster CrabbeLois HallTommy FarrellTwo ex-Navy buddies travel to a tropical island to help search for a fugitive Nazi and a fortune in diamonds stolen by him during WWII, and encounter multiple dangers at the hand of a gang also seeking the treasure for the island's corrupt governor.
- DirectorFred NibloStarsDouglas FairbanksMarguerite De La MotteNoah BeeryA seemingly idiotic fop is really the courageous vigilante Zorro, who seeks to protect the oppressed.
- DirectorDavid ButlerSidney LanfieldStarsBob HopeVirginia MayoWalter BrennanA cowardly actor and a runaway princess are voyaging on a ship that is captured by a notorious pirate who recently buried his treasure on a secretly mapped island.