"Mutiny on the Blackhawk" is a very strange movie, and a very weird lesson on US history! The dates and occurrences in the film simply don't add up, so take it all with a grain of salt. If you do, you'll find the story enjoyable.
When the story begins, you learn that many of the industrialized nations have banned the importation of slaves. This is true and did include the United States. A US Army soldier, Captain Lawrence (Richard Arlen) is sent on a weird anti-slavery mission to the Sandwich Islands (modern day Hawaii). Once there, you see the evil local chief selling some of his people into slavery...something that did actually occur in some cases.
Aboard the ship, the crew is somehow totally unaware that the hold contains Hawaiian slaves...something pretty hard to believe. However, whether these slaves or even the clueless crew will ever make it to land is uncertain, as the Captain of the ship is scum and to avoid getting caught, he takes a VERY circuitous route to sell the slaves...and they all begin starving and running out of water...as the Captain and his bully officers live pretty well. Not surprisingly, it leads to a mutiny led by Captain Lawrence.
Where it all goes next is quite bizarre, as they eventually land on the California coast. Now, it is 1840-1841 by the way the film is introduced, but suddenly they are caught up in the war for the California Republic...which actually happened several years later in 1846. Using Polynesians to help, the locals fight the evil Mexicans and can only hope and pray that General Fremont and his army arrives in time to save them. But, the rebels have a huge advantage....repeating rifles and revolvers which hadn't even been invented yet!
The film is a historical mess. But it is fun and the actors try their best. It's no great work of art...but at least it's all silly fun.
