PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003) **1/2 Johnny Depp studied Keith Richards to give his character swaggery sway, but there's also a lot of Steven Tyler in the eyes and wardrobe. Depp's very entertaining-he's been greater, and he's been worse-a lovable rogue always looking for a celebratory moment. He could have used more help from Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. They're not bad, but they aren't particularly interesting, and their romance is dull beyond measure. It occurs to me that many "good relationships" are like that-dull looking in from the outside, while it's much easier to make an interesting film like Fatal Attraction or War of the Roses. Harder to make a great film about a bad relationship though, and that's why it's interesting to see where they put their chips down. The sets and locations are great, shooting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines tends to do that, and Gore Verbinski has an excellent eye for the shot (dripping Dep hoisted across the ambulatory main sail and headed starboard) enabling a scene to realize the fullest potential of its absurdity. Keep an eye on Jonathan Pryce throughout the film, in order to understand what pirates really think about western civilization. So there's a moral? You bet! Good guys eventually become pirates. And we always get the best girls. And even "regulars" can do good and thereby some measure of heroism, though they too often have to do something "wrong" to achieve it.
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