The brave and valiant Samson, Alan Steel, is a Spanish soldier serving in the Royal Spanish Navy. At the beginning, he defeats pirates who are plundering the Caribbean coasts, and for this, he is honored at a celebration by the governor himself. He wants to marry Rosita, Rosalba Neri, but her father, the governor, disapproves of this relationship because he is of humble origins; in fact, he worked in the stables when he was very young. Meanwhile, the governor's cunning, perverse, and treacherous assistant, Rodrigo Sánchez, Piero Lulli, allies himself with the Black Corsair, Andrea Aureli, to seize power and replace the governor, kidnapping his daughter in the process.
This is a B-movie that blends two subgenres from 1960s Italy: the peplum, with its invincible, muscular heroes, and the pirate adventures typical of the era, imitating American films. Producers of that time usually financed their projects, in which Hercules, Maciste, and Samson traveled through different centuries and eras in a kind of time capsule, appearing in 15th-century Scotland, medieval Spain, the courts of the Russian Tsar, the Inca Empire, the Far Arabian East, and battling the Great Khan, medieval witches, Arab villains, or, in this case, Caribbean pirates.
It stars the stiff and expressionless Alan Steel or Sergio Ciani, whose real name was Sergio Ciani. On numerous occasions Steel was asked to play the legendary Greek hero, as well as the equally well-built demigods Samson and Ursus, even though the film titles often fused or confused them in their titles. Steel starred as Hercules in Hercules Against Rome (1964) (Hercules Against Rome), Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964) (Hercules Against the Moon Men), Sansone contro il corsaro nero (1964) (Hercules and the Black Pirate), and Lost Treasure of the Incas (1964) (Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas), the second movie mentioned being one of the only spectacles to actually incorporate science fiction into the genre. In contrast, his Hercules serves as a mere sidekick in the Zorro-like spectacle Hercules and the Masked Rider (1963).
Alan Steel was one of the many actors-and not one of the best-who played this kind of bulky hero that was all the rage in the 1960s. Other actors of the same ilk worthy of consideration were the following: Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Richard Harrison, Dan Vadis, Reg Park, Rock Stevens, Samson Burke, Brad Harris, and several others. However, none of them surpassed the great Steve Reeves in popularity and impact, followed by the also notable Gordon Scott, who also starred in some Tarzan films.
The feature film was professionally directed by Luigi Capuano, but it's nothing special. The film bears a certain resemblance, both in its settings and action, to "Samson vs. The Pirates," starring Kirk Morris. The skilled director Luigi Capuano was a prolific filmmaker, dedicated almost exclusively to the adventure genre, including those of the rebel Sandokan and Zorro, and also directing some Spaghetti Westerns. Thus, Capuano directed peplum films like "Ursus's Revenge" and "Revenge of the Gladiators," Westerns like "The Magnificent Texan," and the spectacular adventures of "The Tiger of the Seven Seas," "The Leopard of Sarawak," "Sandokan's Revenge," "The Terror of the Red Mask" starring Lex Barker, "The Lion of Saint Mark" starring Gordon Scott, along with Zorro adventures such as "Zorro at the Court of Spain," "Zorro, Rider of Vengeance," and "Zorro and the Three Musketeers." Samson vs. The Black Corsair's rating: 5.5/10. Mediocre but acceptable and passable, but in any case only recommended for enthusiasts of the subgenre.
