Director: Peter Weir
Cast: Russel Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd
Stage: Home TV selection
Master and Commander in short: In April 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars, the H.M.S. Surprise, a British frigate, is under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey. Aubrey and the Surprise's current orders are to track and capture or destroy a French privateer named Acheron. The Acheron is currently in the Atlantic off South America headed toward the Pacific in order to extend Napoleon's reach of the wars. This task will be a difficult one as Aubrey quickly learns in an initial battle with the Acheron that it is a bigger and faster ship than the Surprise, which puts the Surprise at a disadvantage. Aubrey's single-mindedness in this seemingly impossible pursuit puts him at odds with the Surprise's doctor and naturalist, Stephen Maturin, who is also Aubrey's most trusted advisor on board and closest friend. Facing other internal obstacles which have resulted in what they consider a string of bad luck,.
Preps: I have also seen this several times. Russel Crowe is one of my favourites. Plus, this is a two times oscar winner. With eight nominations in that year. A must see every now and then.
Reality: Crowe rocks in the movies where he has a giant role, like a protagonist of faith, or someone at the front of an army (as in this case). A strong figure, whose role is to lead towards better life or to win a battle. To have a vengeance, like in Gladiator.
Master and Commander is not an exception. Crow is in one of his strongest roles. The dialogue is brilliant, the action scenes also. The faith in the main protagonist remains until the end of the story. One of the best parts is the continous rivalry between the captain and his scientist, if I may dare to say so. Dr. Maturin, surgeon, is at the same time, his best friend and his worst enemy. He quarrels with him practically the whole time. It is as the doctor is his bad conscious and predicts the dark scenarios (or at least the opposite / being somehow always against what captain thinks, at least in verbal sense.)
I believe the director made a fine thin line between what's too much and what's enough. In sense that the dialogues aren't too long, the battles are not too long. And the story is believable, the music takes you to enter adrenalin and on the other hand calms you down. I believe that a lot of people enjoy watching movies that will take you to the history and show you how some things that are practically extinct, like working on ships, took their role in the food chain. To me, I love to watch good costumography and good made scenes. With items from the past, with music fro the past, with superstition and everything that revolves itself around it. And with Russel Crowe, what a treat.
An extra plus: The scenes from Galapagos Islands. I would really love to go there.
My personal rating 8,0 (a brilliant pirate movie. The Brits do their charm and magic on the ocean and win the war. In the main role, Russel Crowe, the pirate of the sea. Loved it):
Master and commander on IMDB
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