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Rated R; running time of 135 minutes
Genre: War Drama
Written by: Peter Weir & John Collee, based on the novels by Patrick O'Brian
Directed by: Peter Weir
Cast: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy, Lee Ingleby, David Threlfall, Max Pirkis
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW.
The Digest
It's 1805 and the Napoleonic war is raging. England is terrified of a sea war being the edge Napoleon needs to defeat England. It is that fear that has sent Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and HMS Surprise to the open seas to seek and destroy the French vessel Acheron. But the HMS Surprise is in for a surprise when they find out the hard way that they are not pursuing, but are being pursued.
Taken complete unawares, the HMS Surprise is attacked by the Acheron and hobbled. This is too much for the Aubrey's hubris and he vows to even the score. What follows is a moby dick like cat and mouse game between the two ships. Aubrey's best friend, Doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), begs of Aubrey to let it be, but he refuses, even at the risk of his 197 crew members. .
Aubrey presses on even as casualties mount and the ship runs the risk of sinking. He is determined to see his task through.
Can Aubrey's luck hold out long enough to exact revenge and prevent the war from spilling over onto the sea, or has his luck run out and his crew doomed?
The Dish
Awesome. Superb. This is a completely engaging and consuming movie. Practically non-stop tension sprinkled with enough subtle humor to break the tension only to rebuild it. It's almost akin to a roller coaster ride. Master is extremely well acted and there didn't seem to be even one weak performance.
Most impressive was not the veteran actors, but the performances handed down by the young first timers. Most notably, Max Pirkis as the young Lord Blakeney. Life on a ship was especially hard for the youngsters some of whom are leaving home for the first time and these young men are faced with mortal danger, yet manage to keep their wits about them and even lead the charge against the French.
The other stars of the movie were the sea and the ships. I actually felt like I was in the cramped quarters of the ship. I found myself ducking as cannon ball ripped through the ship. It was absolutely amazing. And I nearly got seasick watching the waves roll in and crash against the boat.
In my opinion, the Oscar race just heated up. I will be very surprised if Master doesn't get any nods. I'm thinking Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (perhaps for Bettany and Pirkis), Best Sound, Best Picture, Best Editing, and Special Effects nominations. I'm serious. The only time I've come out and made predictions like this was after I saw Erin Brockovich. I knew Julia nailed it.
The Directive
This really is a must see and you would do yourself a disservice to not see it at a surround sound theater.
Master and Commander of the seas and the box office.
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Copyright Kamal "The Diva" Larsuel-Ulbricht, 2003
EMAIL: thediva@3blackchicks.com
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