:
Russell Crowe,
Russell Crowe,
Paul Bettany,
more...
:
Peter Weir,
Peter Weir
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: 
: 20th Century Fox
: Adventure, Seafaring
: 138 min.
: English, Spanish, French
: English, Spanish
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Director Peter Weir's first turn behind the camera since 1998's critically acclaimed The Truman Show, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is based on two Napoleanic War-era adventure novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, Master and Commander and The Far Side of the World. Russell Crowe stars as Captain Jack Aubrey, a high-seas adventurer who maintains a strong bond with ship-surgeon Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany). After conquering much of Europe already, Napoleon's forces have set their sights on taking Britain, so Aubrey and the crew of his ship, the HMS Surprise, take to the Pacific to intercept any attacking ships from the French fleet. When Aubrey eyes a renegade French super-frigate, the Surprise pursues, leading to an adrenaline-charged chase through the distant reaches of the sea. Edward Woodall, James D'Arcy, and Lee Ingleby also star as members of the Surprise's crew. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
PLEASE NOTE: This disc contains the feature film.
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| Good adaptation, rollicking show
by Texan99
September 4, 2010 - 12:09 PM PDT
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| O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series extends to something like 20 novels, containing enough plots for 100 movies, so it was with a sinking feeling that his fans learned that Peter Weir had used them as the source material for a pastiche. It was even more surprising that the film introduced plot lines that had no basis in the novels at all, and that the elements it did use came almost entirely from one of the installments in the middle of the series, after even Mr. O'Brian's very considerable invention had begun to dry up and his narrative thread had begun to drift. What a surprising pleasure, therefore, to find that the pastiche plot actually works very well, and that the added elements were a good fit and a fine addition: Max Pirkin's affectingly acted, sharply written young character anchors the movie and provides its heart. I particularly appreciate a movie about war that doesn't score cheap points off of a mocked patriotism; instead, a young aristocrat of a midshipman that we would consider a mere child accepts his role as officer-in-training in a bloody, brutal war without bravado but also without shirking or complaint. The film's running naval encounter, which occurs between British and French forces in the middle of nowhere and has no great strategic importance in the Napoleonic Wars, nevertheless permits an engrossing discursion into the problems of leadership and morale as well as the conflict between men of action and men of contemplation. As in "Moby Dick," the ship is the nation. |
| Great Period/Character/War Piece
by BassGrot
October 28, 2004 - 4:47 PM PDT
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6 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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| Great period piece for the Napolionic Wars, showing how people lived on English warships. Peter Weir has done an excellent job in directing, bringing to life this heroic sea tale with interesting camera angles (extensive use of helicopter mounted cameras) and dramatic battle sequences reminicent of wartime paintings. Outstanding casting of Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin. I know some people had reservations about this decision (even Peter Weir) because they had just starred in "A Beautiful Mind" together, but they are fantasic. The supporting cast was excellent, look closely and you'll see Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings) and a host of other great unknown actors. The look and feel of this film are enough to make people watch but the story and character interaction makes me keep coming back for another viewing. |
| Master Commander
by malvolio
September 20, 2004 - 11:23 AM PDT
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1 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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| Good film, well acted, well shot well directed, and interesting in a lot of ways. I found myself wondering why did they make a film about battles that has so little consequence in a larger war? I didn't find it very compelling. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.86)
328 Votes
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