Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

A strong, confident and rather intelligent action movie which doesn't sacrifice its characterisation in favour of full blown thrills, 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World' also marks the return of Rusty 'Fancy a Ruck?' Crowe. He plays Captain Jack Aubrey in a performance that will probably garner him an Oscar nomination in a few months. Based on the Patrick O'Brien novels, 'Master and Commander' follows the fate of the HMS Surprise, skippered by 'Lucky Jack Aubrey', at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, circa 1803. Aptly titled, HMS Surprise's mission was to destroy the French boat, Acheron. The ship is to be prevented from escape at any cost, according to orders from the very top and Aubrey is determined to follow them. Amongst the crew of occasional doubters is Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) Mr. Allen (Robert Pugh) and Blakeney (Max Pirkis).

Think the intensity of 'Das Boat' by way of the pomp and aggression of 'Gladiator' and you're someway towards the epic seeking status of 'Master and Commander'. A desperately entertaining romp, the film is grand old epic of the old fashioned kind, the sort of which preaches virtues like honour, faith and duty with a rare zeal. Rather than saturating the audience in special effects, Weir's patient direction allows the story to develop with a surehand and deep routed skill, while the performances from his cast are uniformly excellent. On the downside, the complete absence of any female characters hampers the film somewhat. Still, a special mention must go to Crowe for his turn as the obsessive captain, another notch in what is fast becoming a career littered by fine performances.