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So Hornblower and his fellow officers decide to take over
and risk a courtmartial in Jamaica, rather than certain death
under the deranged man's orders.
The tale is told in a series of flashbacks and is one of
the most action-filled and fast-paced movies I've seen for
quite a while.
Not only is there the bullying and mutiny on the vessel,
but also the added drama of seemingly continual fights with
the local Spanish.
The attack on an enemy fort is exciting and bloodthirsty,
as is a brutal hand-to-hand battle to control the British
warship.
There are a number of first-rate actors in this episode -
aside from the regulars - and they include Paul McGann as
Lieutenant Bush, Nicholas Jones as Lieutenant Buckland and,
of course, David Warner.
He is superb as the paranoid Sawyer and switches effortlessly
between being a cruel commander, who is easy to loathe, and
a former hero whose illness merits a great deal of sympathy.
This is Warner's best role for many a long year.
Nicholas Jones also puts in a stirling performance as the
dithering Lieutenant Buckland, a man who fears command.
One of the nasties on board is Hobbs (Philip Glenister),
who disapproves of the "weak" new officers and their lack
of loyalty towards his captain. His character may be flawed,
but the acting is spot on and he almost steals the show from
Warner.
Paul McGann plays Lieutenant Bush, an ambitious officer distrustful
of the people on his new ship, but who eventually agrees to
the right sort of action.
And action there is - by the bucketful. This is the most
swashbuckling of the series to date and if you don't pick
up Mutiny and Retribution
at the same time it will have you hanging (er, poor choice
of words) out to find out what happens.
Both the video and audio transfer are of very high quality,
with no major visual annoyances. However, there is a lot of
grain visible during the night storm scenes and while it is
obvious you will be too engaged in the yarn to worry.
We want more!
Conclusion: Movie 90%, Extras 50%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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