Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (14 November 2003)
directed by Peter Weir
starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy, Edward Woodall, Chris Larkin, Max Pirkis, Jack Randall, Max Benitz, Lee Ingleby, Richard Pates, Robert Pugh, Richard McCabe, Ian Mercer, Tony Dolan, David Threlfall, Billy Boyd, Joseph Morgan, Alex Palmer, Mark Lewis Jones
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MPAA rating: Studio: 20th Century Fox, Miramax, Universal Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Films Script: Peter Weir, John Collee Based on the book by: Patrick O'Brian Music: Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, Richard Tognetti Running time: 138 minutes Tags: Action; Adventure; cannon; Drama; Galapagos Islands; Jonah; novel adaptation; oceans; ships; surgery; swords; war Tactical strength: [9/10]
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for intense battle sequences, related images, and brief language
In the early 19th Century, Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) commands the HMS Surprise, a wind-powered battleship, with orders to seek out and sink the French ship Acheron. In the first two encounters, the Acheron has the advantage, and Aubrey must use ingenuity and expert seamanship to escape, although with a badly damaged ship. Aubrey's orders only give him the assignment to chase the Acheron as far as Brazil, but Aubrey uses his own initiative to pursue his opponent as far as the Pacific.
On the surface, Master and Commander tells an action-packed Jack Aubrey represents the ideal navy man -- quick-thinking under pressure, a firm yet compassionate leader, and a dedicated friend. Aubrey believes in complete dedication to naval service and doing whatever it takes to fulfill his orders. His friend and counterpart Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) represents a more humanist approach. Maturin serves in the navy literally for the travel opportunities. How else can he get paid to travel to new and strange lands where he can discover and catalog new species? The doctor often disagrees with Aubrey's decisions, such as not returning to England after losing the mainmast in one of the battles with the Acheron and pursuing it beyond Brazil.
We see the contrasts between Aubrey and Dr. Maturin in both their direct interactions and also in their varying effects on the crew, particularly in Lord Blakeney (Max Pirkis), a thirteen-year-old midshipman. Blakney idolizes both men and seems to integrate the best qualities of both. He learns leadership and courage from the captain -- at one point Blakeney has command of the Surprise and leads a group of men in an attack on the Acheron. And he learns science from Dr. Maturin, learning to investigate new species that they encounter in the Galapagos Islands. In a way, Blakeney represents an even grater ideal -- the strong naval leader that can balance the needs of the navy with the curiosity of scientific endeavors.
Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying. Director Peter Weir gives us some of the best battle and sailing scenes ever made with or without a computer, whether sailing through the Cape in a storm or sitting still on a windless ocean in the Pacific.
In all, Master and Commander presents an epic-scale story that doesn't loose its human touches and holds up very well under repeated viewings.
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