Master and Commander is set during the Napoleonic Wars and follows the adventures of the crew of the HMS Surprise, a British privateer captained by arrogant yet strategically brilliant Jack Aubrey (Russel Crowe) sets off after the French warship Acheron. What follows are almost 120 minutes of deep down naval strategy and several smaller personal stories of the men aboard the Surprise.

Jack Aubrey relies on the council of his best friend, Dr. Steven Maturin (Paul Bettany) to provide a counterpoint and conscience to his audacious command. Aubrey is indeed a rough and tumble, sword wielding, pistol shooting, warrior who also maintains a healthy sense of humor, a love of string instrument duets (which he plays with Maturin), and a love and respect for his men from the amazingly young officer class to the most grizzled and gnarly deck hands serving under him.

The two novels condensed for the film offer just glimpse into the depth of Patrick O’Brien’s understanding of British Naval history, but in that glimpse we get one of the best action/adventure films to come out of Hollywood in a hell of a long time.

The film follows a very basic overall plotline, the Surprise, jumped in the fog by the Archeron and crippled, the remainder of the film is Aubrey’s complete dedication to tracking, finding, and capturing the French ship.

On the way we are treated to an ample and, as far as I can tell, accurate series of smaller stories about life aboard a sail powered naval vessel. The food is shitty, the pay is worse, but the men, some as young as 10, are fiercely loyal not only to the ship on which they serve, but to the captain. There is a story about a “Jonah” among the new officer class, another about Dr. Maturin’s naturalist duties and exploration of the Galapagos Islands. We also learn quite a lot about the relationship between Aubrey and Maturin. Finally we learn of the relationship between two young officers, 1st Lieutenant Tom Pullings (James D’Arcy), terrified of failing while in command, and Midshipman Blakenly (Max Pirkis), a spry 10 year old who loses an arm in the first battle. Rounding out the crew are carpenter Mr. Lamb (Tony Dolan), and coxwain Barret Bonden (Bolly Boyd).

Were I a chauvinistic person I could say that Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World is the ultimate men’s movie; the only romance is between the men and the sea, the only love is between fellow men (and I don’t mean THAT way).

The effects are supremely convincing. It helps that Peter Weir had a ship built and several scenes were filmed of and on said vessel. CGI fills in lots of the other stuff, but none of it is noticeable, and I mean NONE. There wasn’t a minute I didn’t believe the crew and ship wasn’t where it was said to be, and that includes anchored off Galapagos, plunging through the Straits of Magellan, or lobbing broadsides against the Archeron.

Weir does a nice job keeping the Acheron a mystery. All we really learn about it is the number of guns and masts, and the number of guns and masts it has MORE than the Surprise. In the vast expanse of the sea the Archeron could be anywhere, and the crew knows it, so that every exchange is fraught with anxiety. The only thing the crew can hope for is that Aubrey is a better tactician than the French captain of the Acheron, and when it comes to naval warfare that isn’t a whole lot to stake your life on, especially when the enemy ship is nearly a full third larger, a few knots faster, and many guns stronger.

Weir lets us spend a whole lot of time with Aubrey as he obsesses over the best way to catch, meet, and defeat the superior French vessel, with Maturin as his devil’s advocate. It’s wonderful to watch the strategy be planned and implemented. Naval warfare was a slow affair and Aubrey understands that 90% of the game takes place before the first cannon shot as each massive ship jockeys for superior position based on tide, wind, range, and stealth.

And boy is it engrossing to watch the battle unfold.

The acting is universally excellent and the cinematography follows the recent trend on wide sweeping shots to put an event into perspective.

There is so much good in Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World that I can’t recommend it highly enough. It was my favorite film of 2003 and with good reason. The film ends with a wonderful twist that almost insists on a sequel, and I can’t wait to see it.