January 05, 2004
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
I haven't read any of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels which is a good position to be in when viewing a Hollywood adaptation of a literary work. Peter Weir's bracing flick passes my test for such occasions in that seeing the movie made me want to go grab the first book and dig in. There's really not all that much to the movie that you haven't seen in a million other high seas adventure films, at least in outline, but Weir's flick goes for a level of verisimilitude that will have you ducking and cringing as cannon balls rip through the wood work of the HMS Surprise (and it warmed the cockles of my galoot heart to see that same woodwork all being repaired without resort to skilsaws, electric screwdrivers, and three trips to Home Despot ;-) Russell Crowe manages to play a part that strays dangerously close to Ahab without making you think of the mad sea captain more than once or twice which is quite an accomplishment.