Review of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) by Timothy M — 17 Sep 2014

Sort of like Das Boot in its intense realism with more swashbuckling flavor. It is all here, the boredom of everyday life at sea punctuated by periods of nerve-shattering intensity. Being a ship of the Age of Sail there is a bit less of the sense of claustrophobia in this one than in Wolfgang Petersen's epic but just as much intimacy concerning the lives of the men aboard both vessels.

Also, PG-13 rating is pushed as far as possible with level of violence and its portrayal. Still though, the brutal finale is made all the more so by the fact that these men cannot retreat or hardly maneuver when facing the enemy on such a small space as a ship's deck.

This film does deserve a sequel and if possible, a franchise.