Masterful portrayal of life in brutal navy

Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy, Edward Woodall

WITH what must be the most ridiculous, testosterone-loaded title of any film this year, Russell Crowe captains a nautical epic set back when Napoleon ruled the waves.

The far side of the world is the coast of Brazil, it's 1805 and Crowe is Captain 'Lucky' Jack Aubrey, chasing a rogue French boat in his good ship, the HMS Surprise.

The gallic sailors have the upper hand but Aubrey is insistent on trying to send them to the bottom of the ocean (actually the same humungous 6.5-acre water tank used to film Titanic).

The warring ships get caught up in some fantastic action sequences - cannonballs and crashing wood and shocking amputations - but it's never too gory or overblown.

And, through it all, Crowe is excellent at being gruff but cultured (well, he plays the violin), with a commendable Pom accent and just one real friend to confide in - ship Surgeon Stephen Maturin (Bettany).

Tension tightens on the boat as the Cap'n ably treads a fine line between maintaining discipline and overdoing it to the point of mutiny.

Director and co-writer Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show) subtly and effectively captures life at sea, and the contradiction of being in a vast space, but confined to utter claustrophobia.

The film is based on the hit novels by Patrick O'Brian. In his original conception the bad guys were American, but we can't have that thought the studio execs, so they turned the clock back a decade and made them French.

Character development is dominated by Crowe and Bettany, with the satellite figures of Woodall, Larkin and much of the crew somewhat forgettable. A stop-over in the Galapagos islands drags a bit, but is useful in breaking up the action.

This is a very enjoyable and well put together film. Most memorable is the detailed portrayal of the fascinating, brutal way of life in the 19th century navy. Bring your umbrella for the storm scenes.

Paul Platt

Mono rating: eight out of ten