When her father is killed by the British, his daughter (Louise Platt) and first mate (Victor Mature) take control of the ship to fight the British during the War of 1812.
Captain Caution comes across a sort of cheap version of The Sea Hawk. While Kenneth Roberts' most famous novel, Northwest Passage, was getting the MGM treatment in Technicolor, Captain Caution was being made by Hal Roach (of the Little Rascals fame) on a much smaller budget (and not in color). That's not to say Captain Caution is a bad film; it's completely average.
Victor Mature is suitably dashing as the hero, while Leo Carrillo provides good comic support. Louise Platt, fresh off her role in Stagecoach, is frankly annoying as the female lead, while Bruce Cabot is his usual dull self as the baddie. Alan Ladd was apparently in it as a sailor, but I didn't see him.
There's a couple good action sequences and some nice model work, but other than that, Captain Caution is completely undistinguishable from various other seafaring films in the 40s.
