Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - Review

Since Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is my favourite movie of all time, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World has always been on my radar, but it has taken me, quite frankly, way too long to watch it. During a recent night of "what to watch, what to watch?" moments while looking at my movie shelf, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World just seemed to pop off the shelf and into my hands. I'm really glad it did because this movie hooked me right from the opening frame.

The story is extremely simple. One British ship run by "Lucky" Captain Jack (Seriously, two captain Jack's in one year?) is tasked with pursuing a French war vessel along the coast of South America. From there, it's a game of cat and mouse between the two ships and while the action and driving force of the story is happening between the two ships, the drama is happening on the boat between the crew.

As soon as the movie starts, I was hooked. No grand score, no major action sequence, just text explaining to us the circumstances and the stakes of the story and our characters. Simply telling the audience about the world at this time with no music gives the film a sense of mystery, but yet a sense of impending doom. Sometimes the simplest of filmmaking tricks can be the most powerful. I remember saying out loud as soon as I saw the title after the expository text, "Alright, I know I am going to like this movie." Somehow I just knew.

At the centre of the movie is Russell Crowe and boy does that man have charisma and presence. From the way that he speaks, the way he carries out his duty, the way he expresses himself when thinking and planning the next course of action, everything he does, we as an audience are drawn to him. Although I have been called crazy for saying this, but I see many similarities between Russell Crowe's Captain Jack Aubrey and Mel Gibson's William Wallace from Braveheart. Just the way they are able to lead a whole army into battle and the grand presence they have is just great to watch.

His performance and bravado also ties into one of the major themes in this movie which is, "A ship is only as good as its captain and crew." Now, in a movie about navy ships in the early 1800's this theme can be taken quite literal, but it can be applied in many areas in life. Strong teamwork and leadership can get the job done. When Captain Jack and the many members of the colourful crew are all on the same page and working together, they start to make progress despite being out matched in every possible way by the opposing French ship. When the crew and captain stop seeing eye to eye, when there are rumours and distrust spreading throughout the ship, that's when problems start to arise. This gruelling chase between these two ships not only tests the limits of the ship itself, but every soul aboard that ship and the cabin fever is real in this film.

Which brings me to my last point. For a film that largely takes place on one ship, it is surprisingly intense. From the canon fire, to the storms of the sea, to the fights between the crew and the constant planning of what to do next, it has this weight to it that makes every moment feel important. The stakes are high, the battle wounds and scars can be felt in the audience and the harsh terrain of the sea can almost make you seasick. Even through its slower parts, this film has that sense of danger lurking around every moment because you are never quite sure when the enemy might just pop back up for a fight keeping you on your toes the entire film.