The Guardian
11-14-2003, 11:07 PM
I went and saw this movie tonight and I have to say that it was very very well done. If any of you have even the slightest interest in historical age of sail, SEE THIS MOVIE.
One warning though...
The director did NOT pull many punches in accurately depicting life aboard a British warship in the year 1805. From the discipline required, to the hard life and cramped quarters, to the age of the crew, and the brutality of the battle...its all there. So be warned if you are of a weak stomach, there are some pretty intense scenes in the movie.
This movie is the most realistic historical epic of its kind that you will likely see.
M&C stars Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, commanding HMS Surprise off the coast of Brazil. Jack Aubrey is the character created by Patrick O'Brian in a series of roughly 20 books. The movie draws material from roughly two of the books, but does not follow the exact story lines. Paul Bettany plays Steven Mautren, the ship's doctor who is Jack Aubrey's best friend. (Think of it as the original Kirk and McCoy duo)
Russell Crowe is absolutely perfect as Aubrey. Much like he was in Gladiator, he is a leader that men follow and Crowe plays it to absolute perfection. Even better, Paul Bettany as his foil gives a superb performance as well as the Captain's conscience.
I am not going to give a blow-by-blow account of the story, you guys can see the movie for that! Needless to say, Crowe and HMS Surprise triumph over the larger more powerful foe through a clever ruse.
This is just not an action flick; in fact, the action book-ends the movie as it opens with the HMS Surprise getting "surprised" (okay, bad bad pun...) and nearly getting sunk. The movie climax's with HMS Surprise turning the tables on the bad guys...but there is a butcher's bill and its clear as day that victory does not come cheap. The action scenes in the boarding action are absolutely well done and very realistic.
In between, there is quite a bit of interplay between the good Captain and Doctor regarding leadership, duty, and country. Again, fitting the period (Napoleonic wars) perfectly.
There is also a storm as the ship rounds the Cape and that sequence of action is spell-binding.
If you have a historical bent OR interest in age of sail, I highly recommend this movie. Do not expect a pure action flick, because this movie is NOT that!
Lastly, I meant what I said about the stark realism of the period. Life was short, hard, and brutal in 1805 aboard a British warship. Many of the crew were no more than children (and are in this movie). This could be distrubing to some. There are also scenes where the doctor is performing what surgery he can using the instruments of the time. (knife, saw...little else.) There is a scene where the doctor has to amputate an infected limb of one of the midshipmen (very junior officers, in most cases teenagers) and while it is not gory, it may be too intense a scene for the faint of heart or stomach.
However, having said that, I totally enjoyed this movie and will probably see the movie at least once more, just to get a total grasp of the very convincing artificial world that director Peter Weir has created.
One warning though...
The director did NOT pull many punches in accurately depicting life aboard a British warship in the year 1805. From the discipline required, to the hard life and cramped quarters, to the age of the crew, and the brutality of the battle...its all there. So be warned if you are of a weak stomach, there are some pretty intense scenes in the movie.
This movie is the most realistic historical epic of its kind that you will likely see.
M&C stars Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, commanding HMS Surprise off the coast of Brazil. Jack Aubrey is the character created by Patrick O'Brian in a series of roughly 20 books. The movie draws material from roughly two of the books, but does not follow the exact story lines. Paul Bettany plays Steven Mautren, the ship's doctor who is Jack Aubrey's best friend. (Think of it as the original Kirk and McCoy duo)
Russell Crowe is absolutely perfect as Aubrey. Much like he was in Gladiator, he is a leader that men follow and Crowe plays it to absolute perfection. Even better, Paul Bettany as his foil gives a superb performance as well as the Captain's conscience.
I am not going to give a blow-by-blow account of the story, you guys can see the movie for that! Needless to say, Crowe and HMS Surprise triumph over the larger more powerful foe through a clever ruse.
This is just not an action flick; in fact, the action book-ends the movie as it opens with the HMS Surprise getting "surprised" (okay, bad bad pun...) and nearly getting sunk. The movie climax's with HMS Surprise turning the tables on the bad guys...but there is a butcher's bill and its clear as day that victory does not come cheap. The action scenes in the boarding action are absolutely well done and very realistic.
In between, there is quite a bit of interplay between the good Captain and Doctor regarding leadership, duty, and country. Again, fitting the period (Napoleonic wars) perfectly.
There is also a storm as the ship rounds the Cape and that sequence of action is spell-binding.
If you have a historical bent OR interest in age of sail, I highly recommend this movie. Do not expect a pure action flick, because this movie is NOT that!
Lastly, I meant what I said about the stark realism of the period. Life was short, hard, and brutal in 1805 aboard a British warship. Many of the crew were no more than children (and are in this movie). This could be distrubing to some. There are also scenes where the doctor is performing what surgery he can using the instruments of the time. (knife, saw...little else.) There is a scene where the doctor has to amputate an infected limb of one of the midshipmen (very junior officers, in most cases teenagers) and while it is not gory, it may be too intense a scene for the faint of heart or stomach.
However, having said that, I totally enjoyed this movie and will probably see the movie at least once more, just to get a total grasp of the very convincing artificial world that director Peter Weir has created.