The evil Duke of Brampton (David Niven) executes wealthy nobles in order to steal their possessions. A book containing the names of his victims falls into the hands of Michael Dermott (Edmund Purdom), the leader of a band of outlaws. Michael and his sidekick, Jack (Roger Moore) plan to use the information purely for financial gain, but when he meets Lady Mary (Ann Blyth), the daughter of one of the victims, the outlaws turn into heroes to defeat Brampton and his aide, Captain Herrick (John Dehner), and save King Charles II (George Sanders).
With vivid colors and first class actors, The King’s Thief is an impressively mediocre work. It had to take real effort to be so thoroughly middle-of-the-road. The story is acceptable, the dialog is sufficient, the costumes are fitting, the fights are mildly exciting, and the cinematography is workman-like. Only the actors are above average, but for this production, they’ve all restrained themselves, putting in unmemorable performances. Miscasting Niven as the villain helps reduce his normal charm, and keeping Sanders’s screen time to a minimum eliminates the chance that he’ll be too engaging.
But there is also nothing to offend or irritate. No gigantic potholes (just a number of small ones), ridiculous characters, or horrific, out-of-place dialog. The story doesn’t drag, preach, or repeat obvious points.
Edmund Purdom has the twinkle in his eye needed for the role of dashing, fun loving thief. He even pulls off the goatee and puffy shirt without looking silly. A pre-Bond Roger Moore, with flowing golden tresses (I assume it’s a wig), displays the charm he’d later use as a secret agent. Here he’s the strong, loyal companion. Think Little John. Sure, during the main action and the tricky escape, he spends most of his time watching, but that’s what a sidekick is all about. Ann Blyth isn’t given much to do, but she does it looking exceptionally lovely, and as that’s the role of most female leads in traditional swashbucklers, there’s nothing to complain about.
You’re unlikely to remember much about The King’s Thief a month after you seen it, but you won’t regret the time you spent with it either. For completists or anyone looking for a Swashbuckler that’s unlikely to have worn out its welcome by repeat showings on late night TV, you’ll want to find a copy. For everyone else, if it pops up, great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine too.