Rating: 8/10
Review date: December 3, 2003
Set during the Napoleonic War in 1805, the HMS Surprise is given a difficult task, which is to destroy a French warship � the Acheron, before the latter can expand the war to the Pacific Ocean. Captain Jack Aubrey, along with his trusted confidant, Dr. Stephen Maturin, face one of the biggest challenges in their duty as they struggle to search and sink the enemy ship.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is adapted from the best-selling novels by Patrick O� Brian who has penned twenty books following the adventure of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. As I haven�t read the books, I can�t comment on how faithful the movie is to the book. However, I have been told that the big screen adaptation does follow the book closely.
Director Peter Weir attempted to make a realistic seafaring movie and he is successful in that regard. This movie is very well directed with great special effects (love the storm sequence) and plenty of human drama to top it off with.
The depiction of the life in a 19th century British warship deserves commendation and the movie also features soothing music performed on the violin and cello (which is conveniently played by Cpt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin respectively).
Some people might disagree with me but this movie reminds me (and is worthy to be compared) to Das Boot, another brilliant naval adventure movie that portrays the life aboard a German U-boat during WWII. Watch it if you haven�t.
Let�s move on the characters, which is another strong point of this flick. Suffice to say that the cast did their best and successfully managed to convince me with all the various dilemmas they face throughout. Despite that, I find myself not caring about their fates with the exception of the two lead characters, Captain Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Maturin.
Paul Bettany played his role really well, hot on the heels of Russell Crowe. As for the latter, his masterful acting and commanding presence simply blow all the other characters to the far side of the acting department (no pun intended).
Without further ado, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a great movie that not only established Russell Crowe�s status as a brilliant actor; it also shows the dilemmas that men face when confronted with various difficulties in life. Definitely one of the best movies of the year and a strong contender for an Oscar.
*Trivia*
This is the first movie ever to be shot on the Galapagos Islands.
An actual typhoon was shot by director Peter Weir to be used in the movie.
Memorable quote: �Did you not know that in the service, you must choose the lesser of two Weevils!?�
-Russell Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubrey
(c) Martin Taidy