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It is 1805 in the era of Napoleon's expansionism. The intense rivalry between the French and
the English is reflected in the orders of the British navy to Capt. Jack Aubrey (Russel Crowe) of the M/S Surprise to keep the French off the waters of Brazil by destroying or
capturing the French warship Acheron. Though a man-of-war, the British M/S Surprise is no match for its formidable quarry in size, speed, guns and manpower. Moreover,
the ship's surgeon Dr. Stephen Maturin ( Paul Bettany) is a dyed-in-the-wool biologist who wishes to gather undiscovered specimens of beetles, bees and other wild life for which
reason Aubrey has to visit rarely explored areas of the world, like the Galapagos Islands. The harrowing storms around Cape Horn and the simmering animosities among the crew
are aggravating disadvantages but on the first sea encounter with the Acheron, the M/S Surprise survives due to the quick thinking of Capt. Aubrey. The captain now realizes
that to win, he must use strategy rather than gunfire.
In this age of heavily computerized action sequences and fantastic special effects of air-borne
Kung-Fu fighters, this down-to-earth, well crafted movie is a welcome change. Based on Patrick O'Brian's novel entitled The Far Side of the World, this sea adventure may seem old-fashioned, but it exudes as much vitality and exuberance as any mainly digitally enhanced movie. The viewer enjoys not only the exciting battles of the sea but also the stimulating duels of minds of two diametrically opposed personalities superbly given life by its lead actors: Russel Crowe as Capt. Aubrey, the realist, the man of action, the brilliant strategist, cool in the midst of battle, decisive, unbending in pursuit of a goal but fair to everyone, a leader of men; and Paul Bettany as Dr. Maturin, the captain's friendly but argumentative devil's advocate, philosophical, reflective, just as "graceful" under stress. Many of the scenes are very dark but these are offset by the beautiful cinematography of pristine nature in peaceful sunlight. The close attention to details, the well-done script and very good direction of Peter Weir all deserve mention. The violin cello duets of classical music played by the main leads are a nice touch. They not only ease the tension at times but also round out the characters of Aubrey and Maturin.
Courage, devotion to duty, loyalty to country, respect for authority and fairness in leadership
are clearly depicted in this picture. This is the story of men who find themselves in the most trying circumstances but who risk life and limb to achieve a worthy
goal. Capt. Aubrey best exemplifies these qualities—he has faith in the resources of the mind and continues to hope in adverse conditions and to affirm life. Leaders
may learn something from him. In one instance when a crew member commits an infraction, he has to balance the need to discipline and the need to be fair. He cannot
compromise. He has to make a decision, no matter how difficult, as a true leader of men should. There are prolonged and ferocious fighting scenes, as might be expected
in stories of that age and genre, but on the whole these are balanced by elements that reveal soul, such as the dying French captain's gesture of bequeathing his sword to the
captain of the victorious enemy ship, and the men's solemn recitation of the The Lord's Prayer as the bodies of their comrades are lowered at sea. This is one movie that
beautifully weds bravery with tears, violence with violins.
(Date Reviewed: November 21, 2003)
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