In 1953, Rock Hudson was hot, both physically and career-wise. Just 28 years old, Hudson was a rising star with a bodacious body, and the one smart thing this film does is get his shirt off as often as possible. According to author John Mercer, the filmmakers weren't too excited about the script, considering it "mundane," and that attitude shows in the end result.
According to Slant Magazine, the problems extend to the performances. Hudson plays a fisherman forced into smuggling by the depredations of the Napoleonic Wars who becomes entangled with a wily, sexy double agent played by Yvonne De Carlo. The performances are broad and theatrical, hinting that everyone involved knew they were making a stinker — and that the only way to save it was to get Rock's clothing off.
It's not just the performances, though — the film is assembled in a jerky, poorly edited manner that wastes some truly spectacular scenery, as well as the technicolor processing used on the production. Luckily, this lackluster effort didn't hurt Hudson's career much — he was just a few years from his breakout roles.
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