Victor McLaglen's last film finds the actor in fine form, even though he over-acts as usual, and at 97 minutes, this movie does tend to run just a little too long. But keep watching, as it does come to an absolutely stunning climax that is well worth waiting for. Admittedly, that forces viewers to sit through a fair amount of unnecessarily verbose dialogue, which I'm surprised was not trimmed by on again, off again editor, Arthur Stevens. (Stevens had a really bizarre movie career which started way back in 1931 when he edited a one-reel short contrasting humans with monkeys. He did not re-enter the film industry until 1952, when he edited a quota quickie, "The Stolen Plans"). On the other hand, Dermot Walsh is quite striking in his brief cameo, and Miss Luciana Paluzzi makes a delightfully pert and fulsome heroine. On yet another hand, I thought top-billed Stanley Baker no more than adequate. However, it was nice to see Robert Shaw, quietly menacing in a smallish role. The Spanish locations are also an asset and the music score is particularly striking thanks to a nice solo guitar played by Julian Bream.

Victor McLaglen, the captain of a tug boat service forms a misplaced affection for Luciana Paluzzi, her father (Delgado) happy to oblige for a significant dowry and ongoing prestige. Paluzzi, of course, at least thirty-something years McLaglen's junior, isn't so willing to be matrimonially arranged and finds mutual attraction with the newly hired mate, Stanley Baker. The ensuing tension creates friction between those loyal to the embattled skipper, and others swayed by Baker's courage and the prospect of a changing in the guard.McLaglen's final film role is a great individual swansong, but he's a star among a galaxy of gas. Baker's character will draw parallels with that of "Hell Drivers" (another Endfield-Kruse collaboration), as the tough, uncompromising rogue who takes on the establishment for the common man, his highly principled stance diametrically opposed by the hard-line techniques employed by McLaglen. But the transition is by no means seamless, particularly with loyal mates (Shaw, being the most influential) opposing the vanguard. The action sequences are competent, but Paluzzi doesn't evoke enough depth to her characterisation, a role in which perhaps a Sophia Loren or Pier Angeli would have excelled.Fair British supporting cast are merely spectators to the tepid love triangle and Endfield's direction is not as taut or narratively fluent as in "Hell Drivers" (the similarities with which are too obvious to deny and is possibly where "Sea Fury" suffers as a comparison). But for Baker's charisma and McLaglen's jealous-turn invoking equal amounts of scorn and sympathy accordingly, this would be a largely forgettable experience. A solid climax briefly elevates the picture, but not sufficiently to redeem the otherwise soap-operatic storyline from mediocre status. Fair, but far from memorable.

For a man who lived and tasted more of life before his movie career began in the late twenties than most actors, indeed most people will ever know, it is fitting to see Vic in his old form one last time. The film is peppered with references to his life both on and off stage. From the opening sequence with him barking orders and bodily shoving people aside, we see that though in his early seventies, he's still got enough for one last performance.The scene where he pins a medal on Stanley Baker, and plays his trademark rough-an-tumble drunk is classic McLaglen. His half-hearted attempt at courting the lovely Luciana Paluzzi culminates in an amusing treat of a scene that ends with Paluzzi storming out of the captain's cabin and Victor picking himself up off the floor.Later we find Vic's character Captain Bellew with Stanley Baker's Abel Hewson on the bridge, as Bellew describes an experience from his early days at sea, and declares that he's done a bit of everything in his time. He says it with an honest conviction because he is quite easily telling the truth about his own life.In all, I rate it a great watch for anyone who admires the man's irrepressible zest for life and the adventurous tale of his winding course through it. One of the last great men of the Victorian Era takes his bow with this one.

Victor McLaglen's last feature film found him trying to romance Luciana Paluzzi. McLaglen's a salvage tug captain and he's going through an end life crisis romancing young Luciana Paluzzi who's young enough to be his granddaughter. Seems that her father Roger Delgado, an innkeeper in a North Spain sea village, would like to get his daughter fixed up with a comfortable situation for both of them. He encourages her flirtations with McLaglen. But she's got eyes for Stanley Baker who's a member of McLaglen's crew.What saves this film is the action sequences on the high seas, especially Stanley Baker risking life and limb to dump a steel drum of lethal sodium during a storm, on board a listing freighter. Reason enough to see this film. There's also a bit of rivalry between Baker and another member of McLaglen's crew, Robert Shaw. Shaw and Baker both went on to solid careers as tough leading men. Baker never got quite the acclaim that Shaw did internationally, but he was good box office in Great Britain.Roger Delgado was best known in the British TV series Doctor Who for originating the role of the Doctor's number one nemesis, the Master. Death in an automobile crash in 1973 cut short a very good career.Watch it for the action sequences.