Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World really is a magnificent achievement. Adapting the sprawling Patrick O'Brian novels, Weir perfectly paints a portrait of British naval life during the Napoleonic Wars, using his excellent ensemble and the wonderful set of the H.M.S. Surprise. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany counterbalance themselves perfectly as the duo Aubrey and Maturin, respectively captain and physician on the ship. Their partnership makes an effective contrast from the last film they appeared together in (the flawed A Beautiful Mind) in which Crowe was the thinker and Bettany the more vivacious. Both have fine comic and dramatic moments and effectively turn the characters into 3-dimensional people. The rest of the acting is good too, especially young Max Pirkis who is quite impressive as a young midshipman.
The film is not an action film--far from it. It has two spectacular battle sequences which are both perfectly realistic and gripping. But the middle of the film shows us what life is like on the ship through a series of subplots which also slowly pushes the narrative forward. As it is so well written and performed, this middle section suceeds, but it is bogged down by perhaps one plot too many. However it all helps to deepen our understanding of the characters and really makes you care for the crew, and makes the final battle all the more powerful. Weir shies away from demonising the Surprise's enemies (the French) and they remain mostly an invisible enemy, in keeping with the film's confinment of the story to the ship.
Overall Master and Commander really is one of the best achievements of the year, and another excellent film to add to Weir's impressive canon. It will not appeal to everyone, but there is much to appreciate here. Highly recommended.
*****