Russell Crowe's 2003 War Movie With 85% On Rotten Tomatoes Is The Best Tactical Military Movie Of All Time

War movies are often criticized for being unrealistic, but one offering that has stood the test of time is Russell Crowe's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. When deciding on the best war movies of all time, the conflicts that come to mind tend to be the two World Wars or the Vietnam War. This is likely because they were well-documented and recent enough to have living survivors. However, this leaves out excellent war movies about lesser-known wars, many of which include epic battle scenes and realistic details.

Master and Commander is set during the Napoleonic Wars, and stars Crowe stars as Captain Jack Aubrey, who must use his ship, the HMS Surprise, to capture a French vessel even though the odds appear to be stacked against him. Jack lacks experience as a commander, Napoleon is winning the war, the ship is attacked, and his ship's surgeon is gravely injured. The story is both tense and exciting, as Jack pushes his ship and crew to their limits. Master and Commander focuses on military tactics as well as naval battles and is one of Russell Crowe's best movies.

Russell Crowe's Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World Is The Best Tactical Military War Movie Ever

Why Master And Commander Received 10 Academy Award Nominations But Only Won Two

Master and Commander is based on the author and naval enthusiast Patrick O'Brian's meticulously researched series of novels, which gave director Peter Weir a lot of material to work with. The movie explores naval warfare strategy in great detail while remaining easy for an audience to understand. Master and Commander might contain fewer great battle scenes than other war movies, but the way it shows the use of strategy rather than brute force is historically accurate. Russell Crowe's compelling performance and the attention to detail make Master and Commander one of the best tactical military war movies of all time.

There are many excellent performances and strong cinematography in Master and Commander, and the movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. Master and Commander won Best Sound Editing and Best Cinematography, but there was some stiff competition that year, with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: Return of the King winning most of the awards. Unfortunately, another seafaring adventure with naval battles and its own Captain Jack brought more competition to Master and Commander, and the great movie was overshadowed by the release of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Why Master And Commander Still Holds Up Over 20 Years Later

Master And Commander Never Got A Sequel (But A Prequel Could Happen)

Master and Commander is one of several historical epics that bombed at the box office, but it holds up today. The main character arc still resonates with modern audiences, as Crowe's character begins the movie as an overconfident man before becoming a respectable leader. Master and Commander does not shy away from portraying the often grim reality of life onboard a ship, with several scenes that are still stomach-churning, including one in which the ship's surgeon must operate on himself. The combination of accuracy, great acting, and careful pacing enabled Master and Commander to stand the test of time.

Despite extensive source material in O'Brian's three novels, Master and Commander did not get a sequel, with Weir telling The Seattle Times: "[...] it didn't generate that monstrous, rapid income that provokes a sequel." Unfortunately, the inevitable comparisons to the more commercial Pirates of the Caribbean did not help Master and Commander, with the former becoming an enormous franchise. That said, Deadline reported in 2021 that a Master and Commander prequel was looking for a director, and while the project now appears to be in development hell, a Master and Commander reboot may happen one day.

Source: The Seattle Times, Deadline