Based on the long-running seafaring book series of Patrick O’Brien, M&C compresses parts of three individual books into a packed nautical tale almost entirely set on board the HMS Surprise. Captain ‘Lucky’ Jack Aubrey (Crowe) and his able foil, Dr Stephen Maturin (Bettany). There is a very able cast of familiar character actors holding together the crew and we see quite a few familiar faces on the decks as the whole boat is wakened from sleep by a seemingly implausible enemy sighting. It doesn’t take long for the action to start and the cannonballs to start flying and while the battle effects are thrilling and gruesome in equal measure they manage to find a balanced line to show heroism and horror in both moments viciously loud, and heart-wrenchingly quiet.
Although it is a nearly all-male cast, and the few females very intentionally shown as a pretty and diverting aside, there are a variety of emotions, intrigues, questions of loyalty, friendship and tears of loss and grief and there is a realisation of just how claustrophobic such living conditions with the essential rank and class consciousness would be.
The storyline compels you to keep watching with a fascinating rhythm and pace, as the Surprise pursues the French privateer, Acheron down the American seaboard via thee Caribbean, Brazil, Cape Horn, and Galapagos Islands. Doing so, it uses one of the most evocative and moving soundtracks in the last few years of cinema, weaving through original scoring, Mozart, Bach, Vaughan Williams, folk tunes and sea shanties.
As expected, the main characters supply the form of the story, but the supporting cast are much more than that, and give a real sense of purpose and life to their roles bringing the crew on the Surprise vividly to life.
Certificate: 12
2 hours 18 minutes
Amazon Prime
Director: Peter Weir
Screenplay: Peter Weir / John Collee
Cast: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, and many others…
