In 1981, Australian director Peter Weir jumped into prominence – or at least solidified the prominence he had gained six years earlier as a result of Picnic at Hanging Rock – with a brutally realistic war movie called Gallipoli. Although it may be remembered best as Mel Gibson’s second notable film (after Mad Max), Gallipoli sticks in my mind because of its beautiful cinematography, its disturbing realism, and its success in conveying the pointlessness of war.
Twenty-two years later, with a modest number of mostly fascinating movies behind him, Weir returns to similar themes with Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and while the story – like the era within which it was released – is decidedly more willing to romanticize war, he still manages to make the point that war is hell, and even in heroic victory, there is terrible agony and tragedy.
The story focuses on Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), known to his crew as Lucky Jack because of his sterling record of naval warfare success. Aubrey and his crew are plying the seas off Brazil during the Napoleonic Wars, their task being to intercept and neutralize enemy (meaning French) ships they may encounter. But this is a challenging time for Lucky Jack, as he finds himself surprised by a French ship that is larger, faster, sturdier and better armed than his own. The film follows this first battle and two subsequent assaults as Aubrey stubbornly refuses to back down, despite the mis-match of ships.
Dominated by incredibly authentic-looking sets, costumes and special effects, Master and Commander is a film that doesn’t try to tell the story of a war, but instead focuses on this one ship, crew and captain, and their very individual struggles. If you’re looking for big messages here, you will need to find them in the reality experienced by this one ship, as the movie’s perspective never strays from that of the men onboard the H.M.S. Surprise. We are, however, asked to question the value of war, as Aubrey’s best friend onboard – ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) – serves as the captain’s exterior conscience, questioning Aubrey’s motivations, and the value of taking part in this carnage.
But this is no cerebral exercise in war morality; it is much more a ‘you are there’ adventure film, highlighted by remarkably real-looking scenes of sailing through terrible storms and doing battle with a powerful enemy. The film’s look and feel are utterly believable, and it’s difficult to avoid getting swept up in the passion of the moment as the battle unfolds – especially the climactic attack, by which time we have come to know many members of the crew, so feel concern for their fate amidst the fighting.
Crowe does a fine job of painting Aubrey as an heroic, yet imperfect leader, utterly dedicated to his job, committed to winning and keeping the loyalty of his crew, but perhaps overly influenced by his sense of himself as unbeatable in battle. Crowe’s charisma and strength are perfect for the part. Bettany and many of the supporting players are also strong, including Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), James D’Arcy, and Lee Ingleby, as a tragically uncertain young officer.
It’s a The Perfect Storm with a far more rousing story, or a U-571 with hugely better dialogue. And since I liked both of those critically-panned ocean-going films, I can’t help but love this one. It won’t teach you much of anything about the Napoleonic Wars, but if you’re interested in old-time military conflict from one ship’s perspective, you’re not going to do much better than Master and Commander.
