Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

the one line review:

wishywashyfishy action flick

the overview

There were only two reasons I wanted to watch this film:

1) A friend of mine is in it (and not some random star I've met, but someone I've actually sat down and got drunk with)
2) I had nothing better to do

As it turns out, those reasons were about enough.

the plot:

It's the 1800's and Napoleon is doing his best to take over the seas. A privateer ship is on its way to do some pillaging, and a ship in the British fleet is all that stands in the way. When it turns out that the French is bloody big and bloody hard, and all but blows the shit out of the British ship, its captain Jack Aubrey (Crowe) decides the best thing to do is to try and chase after it. Good thinking.

the verdict:

This film does a good job of highlighting the futility of and stupidity of sea based warfare of olden times. A fight between two boats is essentially: both boats line up alongside each other, and then, keep firing their cannons at each other until one of them sinks, or is in such a position that it can be boarded and burnt. The film does a good job of showing this, without putting two much of a Hollywood glint on it.

It's actually a pretty good film. It's well made and it's enjoyable. The CGI and action scenes are excellent, and you're sat enjoying them, rather thank thinking how bloody unbelievable they are as you do with most films.

I do have a small issue with it though, and that's in the casting. It's a film about a French boat and an English boat. The French boat has French people in it, the English boat has English people in it. So why in the name of God did they cast a bloody Australian as the captain of the English boat? Surely there was someone who could have played the role instead of Russell Bloody Crowe. Nationality aside, he's actually pretty good in it. He has an endearing charm as the well respected if not a little suicidal captain. The rest of the cast is pretty young, and all things considered do a good job, even if in some places you feel like you're watching a production of Oliver. The English with a French accent of the French ship though is pretty laughable, and comes straight out of combination between Allo Allo and Blackadder.

The themes in the film are pretty solid, though in places you get a sense that they started out on an idea, then just let it drift away while they did other stuff (like the obvious alcoholism afflicting most of the crew).

Quite an enjoyable little flick, all things considered, and worth a rent.

Taxi!

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