Master and Warrior: The Far Side of the World

I'm heading in to watch this in about half an hour. Honestly, I live for anything starring Russell Crowe—he’s easily the greatest actor on the planet (to quote RC: "I am the greatest actor in the world")... though this one is a bit of a period piece based on a novel, featuring plenty of massive naval guns. Plus, Russell is playing a guy who even plays the violin... hopefully, it actually holds up $9.75(with a rating of zero, given how much I despise those Broadway types... damn you Broadway!!! Not the actual Broadway, just those Broadway producers). What was I thinking? I really hope someone else can provide some actual substance regarding this movie once they've seen it, because I haven't yet.

I only went because I scored free tickets to the premiere. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, and Russell Crowe isn't exactly my favorite actor or anything...

Man, this movie is incredible. I don't know how many times I caught myself white-knuckling the armrests. It’s thrilling, heartbreaking, hilarious, and even gross at times. To quote myself: The movie is phenomenal.
You seriously have to see this...

In the novel, the Englishmen were essentially forcing the Americans into a corner.. 😁

...but honestly, it’s still such an incredible movie. Even if you aren't exactly thrilled about Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany absolutely steals every single scene from him. It's a must-watch, whether you're a massive history buff or just someone looking for a great story.

A truly fantastic film. Russell Crowe is an absolute legend!

Richard Hernandez13 said:In the novel, the Englishmen were constantly pushing the Americans around. 😁

I honestly love it when they make Americans the central figures in movies. Take *U-571* or *Apollo 13*, for example.

Who are they even talking about?Proud Americans.So, they're forcing it in the movie now?

Khmm. Given the current political climate, it would be much more fitting if Russell were hunting down a ship loaded with an extremist pirate !!!!! gang on a kamikaze mission toward the newly built commercial port in New York City.

Sure, the writers should have put in some actual effort to explain why they’re heading around Cape Horn, but let's face it—Akiva Goldsman isn't exactly known for his depth.

That would be a hell of a movie. I’ve already got the synopsis mapped out. It could be titled "THE LORD AND THE WARRIOR: AN UNNECESSARILY LONG TITLE THAT SAYS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE PLOT."

rapidstag74 said:Who are they actually trying to persuade in the movie (proud Americans)?

😕
Khmm ... I was actually saying that the Englishmen are the ones doing the persuading with the Americans. In this film, it's the Englishmen who are trying to win over the Frenchmen. So, if you think about it, the main characters are really... the Englishmen. Amer doesn't have much of a say here.

Richard Hernandez13 said:😕
Khmm ... I said the Englishmen are the ones driving the Americans. In the movie, the Englishmen are driving the Frenchmen. That makes the main characters... the Englishmen. Amer doesn't have any skin in the game.

What kind of crappy movie is it if there aren't even any Americans in it?!?

Don't tell me there aren't any UFOs or ninjas in this thing, or you'll convince me to skip this obvious garbage.

This movie is honestly pretty fascinating. It reminds me a lot of the structure you see in *heart of darkness*—you’ve got Crowe playing a captain chasing down a Frenchman's ship, and we aren't allowed even a single glimpse into what's actually happening on that vessel. We have no idea who's running things, why they're doing it, or where they're headed, which basically puts us in the exact same boat as the crew on Croow's ship.

It’s truly phenomenal how the entire plot is confined to the ship and essentially plays out through just a handful of characters—to me, this feels like a film about leadership, specifically about who has the capacity, the method, and the motivation to lead people.

The direction is incredibly suggestive; the battle scenes are absolutely bloody, and throughout the rest of the film, Weir really insisted on a sense of raw naturalism. The man is a master 👍

It’s such a breath of fresh air to finally see something different after being stuck with all those movies where characters just beat the hell out of each other in black leather while some high-octane techno track blasts in the background.

Honestly, looking back on it, "Master..." actually feels almost therapeutic—I think I might just go ahead and watch it again.

The movie feels much more like it was inspired by those Patrick O'Brian novels—you know, the ones he wrote that basically serve as a rite of passage for young Americans looking to get swept up in the romance and sheer grit of sailing under the flag of Her Majesty.

So, honestly, I wouldn't be shocked at all if they ended up churning out a few more sequels down the line.
It’s set to hit theaters over in Australia on December 4th.

👍
Such a killer movie. Honestly, after sitting with it for a day and really letting it sink in, I think it’s actually even better than I first thought. Total must-watch!

I was practically kicking my feet in pure excitement while my husband dragged me into the theater😁

and..

I am absolutely blown away. Such a fantastic movie👍 👍 You seriously have to see this one🙂

So, my guy just told me he’s dragging me to the movies this Thursday. I wasn't exactly thrilled at first, but honestly? I'm feeling a little less annoyed about it now.👍

hobbit said:The movie is actually based on the books by Patrick O'Brian, who wrote quite a massive collection of them.

He actually started writing the series back in 1971.
This particular film is an adaptation of the tenth novel—though they shifted the setting from 1812 to 1805—and the title itself was pulled right from the very first book in the series.

Richard Hernandez13 said:😕
Khmm ... my point was that the Englishmen are the ones driving the Americans. In this movie, the Englishmen are pushing the Frenchmen around. So, at the end of the day, the main characters are... the Englishmen. There's no Amera in this one.

I’d love to see an American movie where the Frenchmen are the ones bossing them around—or better yet, where the Germans are doing the pushing!!😎

Dennis Baker34 said:I wish Americans would make a movie where the French force them or the Englishmen—or even better, the Germans—to follow orders!!😎

That is so not the real world man!!!!!!!!!!~~~~

The real world is the world that has been pulled over your eyes (by American propaganda) to blind you from the truth.

I read through all your posts before heading to the theater, and since everyone seemed so hyped about it, I was honestly expecting some kind of absolute masterpiece.

And while the movie isn't terrible—I mean, at least it doesn't follow that mindless Fast & Furious formula, which is already a massive win in my book—I don't see anything here that's actually going to stick with me.

Russell Crowe is a total powerhouse, as per usual (that bleached hair, the tan, that deep, gravelly voice, shoulders that barely fit on screen... plus he plays that wise, noble, honorable, stern yet fair, macho but sensitive type perfectly). The cinematography holds up and the film looks realistic, but let's be honest, that's pretty standard nowadays.

The script, however, is fundamentally flawed. (Yeah, okay, I know this is probably a ***SPOILER***).
He’s obsessively hunting that specific code, then suddenly changes his mind once the doctor's wounds are handled in such an absurdly convenient way, and suddenly that ship doesn't matter anymore. Then you've got the doctor collecting animals, and the crew playing cricket on the Galapagos when they were explicitly ordered to intercept and destroy the vessel. Thank God those Frenchmen practically sail right to them, otherwise, the movie probably would have just trailed off into nothingness.

As for Hollo - Jona—I honestly have no clue what the point of that was. Why make it Hollo - Jona who "defies God," rather than, say, the doctor being an atheist scientist? That would have actually provided some real tension.

The ending was the only part that really worked for me, though it wasn't exactly unpredictable.

Overall, it's not a bad watch, but 🙄 maybe my expectations were just set too high.

dustywolf32 said:He’s chasing after that ship like a man possessed, but then suddenly he just changes his mind because the doctor’s injuries get handled in such an absurd way, and all of a sudden, the whole vessel doesn't even matter to him anymore.

Well, that's because he's the only doctor on board! I mean, honestly, who else is going to patch them up once they run headfirst into the Acheron?

dustywolf32 said:I don't really get the point of Hollo - Jona - why does it have to be Hollo - Jona who is "blaspheming against God," rather than, say, an atheist scientist, which would have actually made for a real plot twist.

I think the movie actually did a pretty decent job explaining why that is the case.

By the way, being a scientist doesn't automatically make someone an atheist... just because he's a naturalist doesn't mean he's out there "blaspheming against God."

Richard Hernandez13 said:Because he's the only doctor on board. Who else is going to patch them up after they run into the Acheron?

Ha, 🙂fair point. I just don't get what the hell they were waiting for. They let the doctor lose half his blood before anyone bothered to suggest pulling that bullet out, only to conclude that Higgins couldn't handle it—which everyone already knew. Then, only when the doctor is practically staring God in the face and knows he's the only one capable of doing it, does he finally step up and say, "Fine, I'll do it."
It’s probably just there for tension.
Oh well. The movie didn't really click for me; I would have handled it differently, but hey. Degustibus 🙂

Well, the movie explained why quite clearly.

By the way, being a scientist doesn't mean the doctor isn't an atheist... just because he's a naturalist doesn't mean he's "blaspheming against God."

True. I only brought it up because that's usually how things go. The whole science vs. religion trope. In this context, the doctor is the most rational person there, making him the perfect target to be labeled a "blasphemer." Plus, the moral dilemma would have been much more intense. Maybe Aubrey wouldn't seem so one-dimensional if the film allowed him to hesitate on a decision for even a second.

As a history major and a total sailing enthusiast, I was absolutely floored by this movie. The way they captured life aboard a smaller warship in the early 1800s felt incredibly authentic—the attention to detail is just spot on. Even if the plot isn't strictly historical, the execution feels remarkably grounded in reality.

What really stood out to me was the character development. It felt like every single supporting character had actual depth; I didn't feel like I was just watching "cannon fodder," which is such a tired trope in most war movies.

Since the action stays confined to the deck of the USS Enterprise—meaning we don't get glimpses of what the French sailors are up to—the director does a fantastic job conveying that specific sensation of navigating massive sailing vessels through all the various chaos of that era.

My rating: 5 👍