“The simple truth is not all of us become the men we hoped we might be.” —Captain Jack Aubrey
Today’s quick review: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In April 1805, the H.M.S. Surprise of the British Navy is dispatched to the northern coast of Brazil to intercept the Acheron, a French privateer on her way to the Pacific. Though his ship is outclassed, Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) presses onward against the advice of his close friend Doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), the ship’s surgeon.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a naval movie set during the Napoleonic Wars. Russell Crowe stars as Jack Aubrey, a skilled captain renowned for his good fortune and keen sense of duty. His constant companion is Stephen Maturin, played by Paul Bettany, a physician and naturalist whose democratic tendencies place him at odds with the customs of the Navy.
The duo join a wide cast of officers, midshipmen, and sailors in a protracted cat-and-mouse game with the French ship. Despite the large expanses of ocean between the Surprise and the Acheron, the skill of their captains and a bit of luck keep the two ships at each other’s heels. The plot has all the fickleness of life at sea, with unexpected losses, hard-won victories, and painful but necessary choices giving the movie a keen sense of realism.
Master and Commander’s main draw is its historical accuracy. The movie offers a frank look at life in the British Navy, from its grueling daily work to its unforgiving combat and its rigid hierarchy to its superstitions. The film is based on the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels by Patrick O’Brian, and it draws some of the best characters and incidents from the books into one standalone tale of the sea.
The execution of the film is as skilled as its source material deserves. The setting appears to be accurate down to the smallest detail. The writing has the same realism, thematic undertones, and nuggets of wit as the books, limited only by the changes in medium. The main characters are well-developed, albeit in subtle ways, but the surrounding cast of characters get short shrift due to their large numbers and the needs of the plot.
For all its quality, Master and Commander can be an odd watch for those not used to historical dramas. The story does not have traditional plot or character arcs in the usual Hollywood sense. Instead it feels like a slice of history, tidied up into a coherent story but largely presented as-is. Themes emerge, characters react to conflict, and the story reaches a resolution, but these developments are not nearly as neat as in most fiction.
Watch Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World if you are at all interested in what life was like in the British Navy. The movie is an uncommonly clear glimpse at an uncommonly engaging corner of history. Skip it if you are looking for a pure action film or a tidy drama; while there is plenty of action and plenty of drama to be had, the plot and setting require attention and patience to fully appreciate.
7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for character, excitement, and authenticity.