Sadie Katz is a beautiful actress we don't see enough of. No stranger to playing goddesses, but in our film today, is that what she is? Maybe, but her logic and ethos is one that will be the moral compass of this entire film. If you're right, can you also be wrong? Can both arguers be right? Be wrong? Her stated moral relativism sounds good, but so does cannibalism to the one doing the eating. Today we have a swashbuckler with pirates, sea battles, swords, cannonballs, sails, taboo ritualistic killings, etc. Let us look at the newest film from The Mahal Empire, 2026's "Cursed Waters," directed by Adam Werth.
Easy enough to see who the good guys are...right? A pirate ship commanded by the escaped slave Captain Bure (Glenn Plummer). His crew are also freed slaves, escaping from capitalistic and racist tyrannies. The good guys? Maybe. The bad guys, an evil navy ship, the USS Perry. It seeks Captain Plummer's vessel and to return all the slaves to their owners, after all, the slaves are mere property. The ship is headed by naval officers Captain Arnold (Michael Pare) and Commodore Bridger (Greg Tally). The two ships meet off Baja, California, fire at one another, board one another, and have a swashbucklng sword battle. Now both ships are ruined and survivors from both end up on a big island not on any maps. Right...uh oh! At sea, or stranded on an uncharted island, both groups of survivors keep murdering one another.
Shaw (John Wells) is a hunk pirate who seems to be the voice of reason. His buddy Drake (BJ Mezek) is his loyal mate. Kilgore (Wesley Cannon) and his beautiful daughter Flora (Elizabeth Chamberlain) all fight heroically. Bridger and his men mow down Shaw's people...but then the horror starts. Beautiful sirens with poison darts murder indiscriminately. Now both sides are on the run and have not figured out they will all die if they do not work together. Kilgore and Flora scamper away on a scouting mission only to come upon what apparently looks like a hippie commune led by Credonia (Katz). She welcomes the pirates...and Kilgore and Flora are suspicious. Smart. Credonia and her people look sweet and nice, and Credonia seems to preach a respect for all and nonviolence. Ha! The blood will now flow freely. The taboo will flood into the plot. Pirates and navy sailors will fall prey to these peaceniks. Most of all, we see neither side, navy or pirate, has a monopoly on goodness and victimhood. We also see the seemingly happy and nonviolent are anything but.
The morals are clear in this film...you'll see. It may seem preachy at the outset, but just wait until the second half. Shaw and his mates will see his real enemies aren't human. The sailors will see the ones they looked at as mere property are mortals with the capacity for so much good. The hippie commune crowd? Vicious creatures, you'll see. Even if Credonia is evil, can't we cut her a break because she is a sultry blonde? Will Credonia and Flora engage in a muddy catfight? Will the hunk Shaw ultimately secure freedom for beset escaped slave pirates? See "Cursed Waters" and enjoy an epic swashbuckler with a gory horrific plot. See it on Amazon Prime, Fawesome, and other streaming services.
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