Pirates The Best Pirate Movies  

Ranker Film
22.3k votes 2.2k voters 49.7k views 61 items

List Rules Films about pirates and their lives on the high seas. Vote up the best pirate movies.

Who doesn’t love a good action flick about the life of a pirate? The idea of searching the world for hidden treasure is a daydream that most of us have as kids. Some of our favorite literary works tell the story of a pirate and his ship and it’s no wonder so many movies tell these piratey, swashbuckling stories as well. But what are the best pirate movies? Cast your votes below and see which film comes out on top!
 
The movies featured on this list follow the life of a pirate in one way or another. Some are cartoon versions that are great sources of adventure for children, others are based on classic books such as the famous Treasure Island, while others take a dramatic look at what life on the seas is really like. No matter what kind of pirate you're looking for, the world of film certainly has a salty character for you.
 
This list has the best pirate movies including, Treasure Planet, The Swiss Family Robinson, Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island, Hook, Blackbeard’s Ghost, The Goonies, The Island, and Captain Phillips. Vote up your favorite pirate film below or add one you love that isn't already on the list.
list ordered by

1
955 206
Pirates of the Caribbean: The ... is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Zoe Saldana Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore ...more

2
707 239
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead... is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom This film is a 2006 American fantasy swashbuckler film and the second installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, following The Curse of the Black Pearl. It was directed by Gore ...more

3
767 297
The Goonies is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Sean Astin The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The film's ...more

4
672 273
Hook is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams Hook is a 1991 American fantasy adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by James V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo. It stars Robin Williams as Peter Pan/Peter Banning, Dustin ...more

5
799 354
The Princess Bride is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, André the Giant The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner. It was adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name. The ...more

6
364 104
Pirates of the Caribbean: At W... is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Keith Richards Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a 2007 American fantasy swashbuckler film and the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The plot follows Will Turner, Elizabeth ...more

7
628 277
Pirates of the Caribbean: On S... is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Keith Richards Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a 2011 action adventure film based on Tim Powers' novel. The film is directed by Rob Marshall

8
521 234
Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Patrick Troughton, Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton Treasure Island is a 1950 live action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. It stars Bobby Driscoll as Jim ...more

9
349 117
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead... is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a 2017 fantasy swashbuckler film, and the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is ...more

10
429 264
Swiss Family Robinson is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk Swiss Family Robinson is a 1960 British-American family film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro and Tommy Kirk in a tale of a shipwrecked family building an ...more

11
359 246
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American Technicolor adventure film starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. It was the first CinemaScope science fiction film and ...more

12
303 217
Blackbeard the Pirate is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Linda Darnell, William Bendix, Robert Newton Blackbeard the Pirate is a 1952 Technicolor adventure film made by RKO. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Edmund Grainger from a screenplay by Alan Le May based on the story ...more

13
370 300
Muppet Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Tim Curry, Billy Connolly, Jennifer Saunders Muppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical adventure comedy film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by ...more

14
374 311
Cutthroat Island is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Geena Davis, Frank Langella, Matthew Modine Cutthroat Island is a 1995 romantic comedy action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film, having endured a notoriously ...more

15
331 287
Treasure Planet is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, Martin Short Treasure Planet is a 2002 American animated science fiction adventure film directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. After he receives a map from a pirate, a rebellious teen (Joseph ...more

16
336 293
Captain Blood is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone Captain Blood is a 1935 American swashbuckling film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Ross Alexander. The film was made by First ...more

17
156 108
Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Orson Welles, Maria Rohm, Lionel Stander Treasure Island is a 1972 adventure film, based on the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Orson Welles as Long John Silver, Walter Slezak as Squire Trelawney, Rik ...more

18
142 122
Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Christian Bale, Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston Treasure Island is a 1990 TV film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous 1883 novel Treasure Island, written & directed by Fraser Clarke Heston, and also starring several notable ...more

19
213 254
Blackbeard's Ghost is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Ustinov, Elsa Lanchester Blackbeard's Ghost is a 1968 live-action fantasy comedy Disney film starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette, directed by Robert Stevenson. It is based upon the novel of the ...more

20
204 266
Captain Phillips is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini Captain Phillips is a 2013 American biographical thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. The film is inspired by the true story of the 2009 Maersk ...more

21
103 113
Blackbeard is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Angus Macfadyen, Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward Blackbeard is a 2006 adventure-drama miniseries based on the pirate Blackbeard, directed by Kevin Connor from a screenplay written by Bryce Zabel. It premiered on Hallmark Channel on June 17, ...more

22
122 145
Captain Kidd is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Charles Laughton, John Carradine, Randolph Scott Captain Kidd is a 1945 adventure film starring Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, and John Carradine, directed by Rowland V. Lee, produced by Benedict Bogeaus and James Nasser, ...more

23
179 260
The Pirates of Penzance is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt The Pirates of Penzance is a 1983 musical film based on Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera of the same name. It stars Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Angela Lansbury, George Rose, Linda Ronstadt, and ...more

24
106 147
The Sea Hawk is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Gilbert Roland The Sea Hawk is a 1940 American Warner Bros. feature film starring Errol Flynn as an English privateer who defends his nation's interests on the eve of the Spanish Armada. The film was the tenth ...more

25
92 125
Long John Silver is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Rod Taylor, Robert Newton, Connie Gilchrist Long John Silver, also known as Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island, is a 1954 United States film production made in Australia about the eponymous pirate from Treasure Island, starring ...more

26
94 136
The Buccaneer is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Charles Boyer The Buccaneer is a 1958 War film, made by Paramount Pictures like the 1938 version, starring Yul Brynner as Jean Lafitte, Charles Boyer and Claire Bloom. Charlton Heston plays a supporting role ...more

27
156 276
Against All Flags is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Maureen O'Hara, Errol Flynn, Anthony Quinn Against All Flags is a 1952 American pirate film starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano. The film's plot ...more

28
74 120
The Black Swan is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Tyrone Power The Black Swan is a 1942 American swashbuckler Technicolor film by Henry King, based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini, and starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. It was nominated for two Academy ...more

29
138 253
Yellowbeard is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
David Bowie, John Cleese, Madeline Kahn Yellowbeard is a 1983 comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock. It was directed by Mel Damski, and was Marty Feldman's last film appearance.

30
76 131
Abbott and Costello Meet Capta... is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Charles Laughton, Lou Costello, Bud Abbott Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is a 1952 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, along with Charles Laughton, who reprised his role as the infamous pirate from the 1945 film ...more

31
62 120
The Crimson Pirate is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Christopher Lee, Burt Lancaster, Dana Wynter The Crimson Pirate is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Robert Siodmak. It stars Burt Lancaster, who also co-produced the film, as Captain Vallo, the eponymous pirate, and is set in the ...more

32
98 203
Pirates is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Walter Matthau, Charlotte Lewis, Emilio Fernández Pirates is a 1986 Franco-Tunisian adventure comedy film written by Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski and directed by Polanski. It was screened out of competition at the ...more

33
57 122
Return to Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Return to Treasure Island Tab Hunter, Kit Taylor Return to Treasure Island is a 1954 American film directed by Ewald André Dupont.

34
104 228
The Ice Pirates is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Anjelica Huston, Ron Perlman, Max von Sydow The Ice Pirates is a 1984 comic science fiction film directed by Stewart Raffill, who co-wrote the screenplay with Krull writer Stanford Sherman. The film stars Robert Urich, Mary Crosby and ...more

35
81 180
Mysterious Island is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Herbert Lom, Joan Greenwood, Nigel Green Mysterious Island is a 1961 science fiction adventure film. Based very loosely upon the novel The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, the film was produced by Charles H. Schneer and directed by Cy ...more

36
41 95
Jamaica Inn is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Maureen O'Hara, Charles Laughton, Robert Newton Jamaica Inn is a 1939 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock adapted from Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel of the same name, the first of three of du Maurier's works that Hitchcock adapted. It stars ...more

37
48 113
Swashbuckler is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added James Earl Jones, Anjelica Huston, Robert Shaw Swashbuckler is a romantic adventure film produced in the U.S. by Universal Studios and released in 1976. The film is based on the story “The Scarlet Buccaneer”, written by Paul Wheeler and ...more

38
42 105
Kidnapped is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Peter O'Toole, Peter Finch, Bernard Lee Kidnapped is a 1960 Walt Disney Productions film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, Kidnapped. It stars Peter Finch and James MacArthur, and was Disney's second production ...more

39
38 99
The Secret of Treasure Island is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Hobart Bosworth, Grant Withers, Walter Miller The Secret of Treasure Island is a Columbia movie serial based on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. The serial is broken into fifteen chapters. Reporter Larry Kent travels to an ...more

40
33 90
The Black Pirate is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Donald Crisp The Black Pirate is a 1926 silent adventure film shot entirely in two-strip Technicolor about an adventurer and a "company" of pirates. It stars Douglas Fairbanks, Donald Crisp, Sam De ...more

41
38 104
Fortunes of Captain Blood is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Louis Hayward, Dona Drake, George Macready Fortunes of Captain Blood is a 1950 adventure film directed by Gordon Douglas.

42
33 93
Caribbean is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Caribbean Arlene Dahl, Cedric Hardwicke, Clarence Muse Caribbean is a 1952 action adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig.

43
30 93
The Pirates of Blood River is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, Kerwin Mathews The Pirates of Blood River is a 1962 British action film directed by John Gilling and starring Kerwin Mathews, Glenn Corbett, Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed.

44
26 83
The Devil-Ship Pirates is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, John Cairney The Devil-Ship Pirates is a 1964 British-made pirate adventure film directed by Don Sharp. It concerned pirates from a vessel from the defeated Spanish Armada terrorizing citizens on the English ...more

45
60 171
The Pirate is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Gladys Cooper The Pirate is a 1948 American Technicolor musical feature film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With songs by Cole Porter, it stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with co-stars Walter Slezak, Gladys ...more

46
56 162
A High Wind in Jamaica is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
James Coburn, Anthony Quinn, Dennis Price A High Wind in Jamaica is a 1965 DeLuxe Color film, based on the novel of the same name, and directed by Alexander Mackendrick for the 20th Century-Fox studio. It starred Anthony Quinn and James ...more

47
24 79
Raiders of the Seven Seas is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Donna Reed, Lon Chaney, Jr. Raiders of the Seven Seas is a 1953 swashbuckler film.

48
62 181
The Island is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Michael Caine, David Warner, Don Henderson The Island is a 1980 American thriller film, directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Michael Caine and David Warner. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley who also ...more

49
28 92
The Golden Hawk is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added The Golden Hawk Rhonda Fleming, Sterling Hayden, Michael Ansara The Golden Hawk is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Sterling Hayden.

50
26 87
The Black Pirates is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best Pirate Movies
Chuck Bennett added Lon Chaney, Jr., Robert Clarke The Black Pirates is a 1954 adventure film made by Salvador Films Corp. about a band of Pirates scouring a small Central American town for a buried treasure. The movie was directed by Allen H. ...more