Here we go.
We all know that Russell Crowe is a marvellous actor and can alone make any movie seem good. That's why there's no point in repeating this fact in every second sentence. Let's just say that while other actors play their characters, Crowe IS the person he is playing for the two hours we see him on the screen. He simply is one of the most or even the molst dedicated actor in Hollywood - a perfectionist, who says that he has failed in all the movies he has made.
What about the movie then? All most people know about this epic film is that it has Crowe playing captain Jack Aubrey and that it is about a sea battle. Some movie-goers might have read the Aubrey-books by Patrick O'Brien. I haven't yet had time to read the books which are about the story in this movie, so I can't tell you how accurate the screen writers have been.
The plot is quit simple. A British ship has a mission - to destroy a french ship that robs whalers and moves towards the Pacific Ocean to strenghten Napoleon's empire. Things go terribly wrong when the french ship catches Aubrey's ship by surprise and damages it heavily. Aubrey wants his "vengeance in this life or the next" (sorry, just had to add this quote from Gladiator). This results in a chase aroung Cape Fear and to the Calapagos Islands. Finally, of course, the good guys (in this case Crowe and his fleet) win, but this movie doesn't end like a Disney fairy-tail. Many good men loose their lives in the battle for the glory of the King of England.
What is so special about this motion picture? There are three answers: Crowe, realism, effects. No need to explain the first answer all over again, so let's jump to the realism which actually goes hand in hand with effects. Master & Commander shows the daily life on a 19th century ship like it was, without exaggerating. Let's face it, life on the wessel was miserable, but still the men were highly motivated in hope of treasurs and honour. The tragedies of the battles are also showed very realistic. The most touching part comes already in the beginning when a young boy loses his right arm as a result of a sea-battle. The scene where Aubrey comes to meet him is certainly one of the strongest in the entire movie. There are many main characters beside captain Aubrey. One of them is the captains friend, Dr. Maturin, played by Paul Bettany. He is the ships's surgeon and has a fanatism for nature. He doesn't care much for the glorious victories. For him the wonderful nature on the Galapagos Islands is much more important.
Have you ever watched a war movie about some 19th century war and thought: "That's not so terrible as they describe it"? Well, when you've watched this movie for 10 minutes, that thought will leave your head entirely for the next hours. The effects are marvellous. A movie-goer can actually hear that making war makes hell of noice. You will also understand that a canon ball makes much more damage than a hole in the ship. I've never seen a sea-battle brought to the viers in a more realistic way that M & C brings it. If you dislike Crowe or are just bored with sea-tales, go and watch the movie for the special effects. It's worth every $ you pay for the ticket.
There's so much good to say about this movie, but unfortunally it had a little week point. The movie starts when the ship has already sailed for a long time and after 15 minutes of watching there has already been a huge battle and lots of men have been injured and died. When the battle starts, we don't know any of the characters. We've only seen them in a few shots and heard their names. What would have made this epic tale perfect, is a longer intro showing captain Aubreay and the crew prepering for the voyage. This intro would also have given the movie-makers a splended opportunity to introduce the viewers to the main characters a little more deeply, so that the first tragic battle would have felt a little more personal, if you know what I mean.
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Although I have to admit he's a good actor, I have to say that I hate Rusell Crowe for the fuckin' douche bag he is.
Just ask anyone who has ever met the guy in person. Especially those he has picked a fight with.