A Masterful Film: Master and Commander

Master and Commander is a really great film. As a huge Russel Crowe fan I enjoyed the film. While I thought the film and Russel Crowe's performance were not as good as Gladiator, it came close.

Master and Commander is a film about a British naval vessel that is at war with the French. The ship is led by the captain, played by Russel Crowe. Most of the film is pretty slow with not much action or adventure but there is one giant fight scene at the end that is truly fabulous. Towards the middle and begining of the film you see the comraderie that is formed between the men and what goes on in a naval vessel.

The captain of the ship is respected by everyone. In the begining the crew are joyous and anxious for some action. However the men on the ship get a run of bad luck as they get a run of really hot and dry weather which makes the men cranky and irratible. They accuse of the young men on board as being a curse and they don't respect the officer's commands. When the captain of the ship sees this he whips the man for disobedience. Still the man accused of being a curse commits suicide by jumping off the ship and drowing.

For the most part the film is really slow moving but still a very good film. It really picks up when a French battleship is spotted that is close behind. In the first night, the captain, Russel Crowe tries to outrun the ship and use the cover of darkness in the night to escape the enemy French battleship which has twice the number of men on board, twice the firepower, and a much faster ship than the British ship. That night the British ship is able to escape.

After a couple of days the French ship is spotted again in broad day light. This time the captain uses his excellent tactics and disguises his ship as a whaler. He is counting on the French greed of wanting to go on board the whaler ship and take it hostage. However, Russel Crowe's plot is to attack the French ship by surprise when it gets really close to the British ship.

Russel Crowe's plan works. When the French ship is side by side with the British ship, Russel Crowe unmasks his whaler ship and flies the British flag on the mast as the navy men fire cannons at the Friench ship and are able to bring the French mast down. The British men board the French ship in an exciting gun fight and take the ship as their prize as the men celebrate.

I really enjoyed this film, especially the giant battle scene at the end. I recommend this film to any movie viewer