Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Director: Peter Weir

Cast: Russel Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy, Edward Woodall, Chris Larkin, Max Pirkis, Max Benitz, Lee Ingleby, Robert Pugh, Richard McCabe, Billy Boyd

Writers: Patrick O'Brian (novels), Peter Weir (screenplay), John Collee (screenplay)

Synopsis:

Jack Aubrey (Crowe), captain of the H.M.S. Surprise, is tasked by the Admiralty to track and capture or destroy the French privateer Acheron. The target ship is currently in the Atlantic of the coast of Brazil, making its way towards the Pacific in order to extend Napolean's reach during the war. Jack soon learns that his mission is more difficult than anticipated, as he learns that the Acheron not only out-classes the Surprise but also that her captain is as skilled a seaman as Jack. Aubrey is single-minded in his pursuit of the French ship, which puts him at odds with Steven Maturin (Bettany), the ship's surgeon and Jack's closest friend and advisor. The chase leads both ships down the Atlantic coast of South America all the way to the Galapagos Islands.

First Impressions

I knew about this movie well before its release and I was truly excited to see it. As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of movies set during this time period (1700s and 1800s), particular those that take place at sea. Needless to say, I was at the theaters opening weekend and I wasn't disappointed. I thought it was almost a perfect movie, there was good action, great characters and a gripping story. To this day, it remains one of my favorite films and is one of my go-to movies when I'm feeling...historical.

Story/Direction: 

"England is under threat of invasion, and though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is home. This ship is England."

At its core, I think this film is really about duels. There is the obvious duel between Jack and the French captain and yes, it is a duel even though both men are each supported by hundreds of men and tons of wooden sailing ship. The essence of the story, though, is still the battle of wills between both captains, with each trying to out-think the other. While this is the most obvious duel in the movie, there are other, more subtler ones, as well. In particular, there is the ongoing duel between Aubrey and Maturin, which while not physical, is just as engaging as the hunt for the Acheron. Aubrey and Maturin are the closest of friends and trust each other implicitly but they are both extremely different individuals. While Jack is a loyal servant in the King's Navy, willing to do what needs to be done to perform his duty, Steven is an Irish spy that holds immense disdain for the navy and for those in power. Maturin acts as a foil for Jack's brashness and like all good friends challenges Jack when he needs to. It's a wonderful dynamic. 

The direction by Peter Weir is terrific. Prior to this film, I wasn't a huge fan of Weir's, having only seen Mosquito Coast and The Truman Show, neither of which I cared for all that much. However, in Master and Commander, he does an excellent job. While a lesser director might struggle with the fact that 95% of the movie takes place aboard a cramped 19th century sailing vessel, Weir makes the most of it by keeping the story moving. Every time I watch this movie, I'm amazed at how focused it is, despite it lengthy runtime (138 minutes). Weir keeps the story moving quickly by removing any extraneous bits and by keeping the exposition to merely a short paragraph at the opening of the film to set the stage. Overall, I think he did a great job here and it made me want to check out some more of his movies (which I'll get into at some time, I'm sure). 

Acting:

This film wouldn't have been as good as it was if the two leads weren't as good as Crowe and Bettany. The movie was released during the height of Crowe's career and I think this is one of his most underrated performances. He plays Aubrey as intense and brash but still a competent commander, a man worthy of the respect that he's given. But he's also portrayed as someone who absolutely loves his job and the movie is littered with scenes of Jack joking with his fellow officers and just living his best life. It's a great performance and ranks up there with his more notable performances.

Bettany, on the other hand, plays Maturin as a thoughtful and curious man, the yin to Aubrey's yang. Bettany takes a measured approach with the character and it always seems like everything that comes out of Maturin's mouth is well thought out. The role was a bit of a departure for Bettany in his previous American films, he tended to play louder, more obnoxious characters.

The rest of the cast performs admirably, with a few notables being Max Pirkis as Midshipman Blakeney, James D'Arcy as 1st Lt. Tom Pullings and Lee Inglby as Midshipman Hollom. All in all, there not a poor performance here.

Visuals:

While this film was made during the genesis of the CGI era, it still relies quite heavily on practical effects. While I'm sure there was some amount of CG in the film, I didn't really notice it enough to comment on it. The practical effects, though, just wow. I'm not sure if the ship used for the Surprise was built specifically for the film or just rented but it looks about as authentic as one could get for the time period. Weir takes great advantage of the cramped quarters to increase tension among the characters but also makes great use of the space above deck. The costumes and the props also look pretty authentic. 

There's also some pyrotechnics going on here as well and they also look fantastic. I think one of the reasons why this time period appeals to me is the firearms and artillery. Unlike modern guns, the weapons used in the early 19th century looked and sounded so distinct when fired and I think that translates really well onto film and looks great. There's also cannonballs flying everywhere and wood splinters exploding all over the place (I'm sure this is where the CGI came in). It sucha  great looking movie and a testament to what a filmmaker can do when CGI is used sparingly.

Score/Music:

The music in this film, done by Iva Davis, Christopher Gordon and Richard Tognetti, is pretty great. You wouldn't think it to look at the film but music is a central part to the story as both Jack and Steven are amateur musicians and often spend their free time playing music together. As a result, the film has not only a great score but there's a number of classical pieces scattered throughout. And, yes, I did find myself whistling bits of the score while driving to work this morning.  

Action:

This isn't really an action movie but there's still a lot of good action scenes to be found. The most obvious of these are two major ship battles, which as I mentioned in the previous section, look great. Weir makes effective use of odd angles and quick cuts to illustrate the chaos of battle. He also didn't shy away from showing the gruesome effects that ship to ship combat can have. In the battle that starts the movie off, Weir cuts from Aubrey the fight above decks to Maturin  below decks trying to tend to the wounded and dying. There's also a few tense "chase" scenes where the Surprise is trying to outrun the Acheron in a one-sided encounter. All told, top marks for the action in this film.

Final Impressions:

As I said to lead off this review, Master and Commander is one of my favorite movies and this viewing hasn't done anything to change that. It's a great movie and an underrated gem in both Peter Weir's and Russel Crowe's filmographies. I highly recommend it.