Russell Crowe on the reappraisal of Master and Commander and its masculinity

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was a critical favourite upon its release and is experiencing a reappraisal. 

But the oceanic wartime epic was considered a box office flop when it was released in 2003.

What was meant to be an exploration of masculinity, governance and conflict quickly hit rough seas and struggled to stay afloat.

Many things likely contributed to this, including Russell Crowe's previous lead as Maximus in the 2000 box office smash Gladiator, and director Peter Weir's perfectionism pushing back its release date. 

But the biggest challenge the film faced was another ship at sea: Pirates of the Caribbean.

"People had been to the theatre that had that big boat experience and it was a joke," Crowe tells triple j's Angus Truskett.

"It's very difficult. How many years did it take after Mel Brooks did Robin Hood for there to be another Robin Hood?

"Once you take the piss out of something that heavily, it's kind of dead for a while as a dramatic story."

A Tale of two ships

On its release weekend in September 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gore Verbinski's swashbuckling maiden voyage starring Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp, defied critics' predictions, shot to number one at the box office and raked in $US46.4 million. 

Pretty solid for a film based on a theme park ride.

Comparatively, Weir's Master and Commander — expected to garner award nominations and critical accolades — sailed into second in November behind Christmas comedy Elf and nudged just over $US25 million on its first weekend.

While Pirates of the Caribbean became a five-film series spanning 14 years, Russell Crowe's Jack Aubrey stands alone on the bow of his tall ship, never having continued his journey.

"But the box office at the time didn't indicate that it would be in the place of respect that it is now."

So how did the Napoleonic-era film wind up going toe-to-toe with the rum-soaked Captain Jack Sparrow? Crowe revealed it was in Weir's post-production perfectionism.

"There's a big sort of snafu there because Peter delivered the movie about six months late," he said.

"Because he was so exacting, that's one of the reasons why the film lasts the way it lasts."

"If you're a sailor and you've been to all the places that boat says it's going — and I've had multiple conversations with guys, and they go, 'You must have been there. You must have been at Cape Horn. The water is a specific colour, you must have been in Cape Horn.'

"But what Peter did was he sent a crew on a boat and he shot the water of every place that the boat goes to in the movie. So, when he's cutting it together, he's cutting the boat into the ocean of where we say we're supposed to be."

Then, when it came to promoting the delayed film, Crowe's leading man was compared to his last critical hit.

"When they went to sell the movie, they tried to sell it like 'The Gladiator goes to sea,'" Crowe said.

"But it's not that film. It's an art film. It's an art film about service and loyalty and fealty and what life would have really been like on that planet that is floating around on the ocean. But it's incredible to see how respected that film is."

The Master's reappraisal

It was the COVID pandemic that caused Master and Commander's revival. With shutdowns forcing many to remain landlocked (and locked inside), the true prowess of the 2003 film resurfaced to a new audience.

On the film's 20th anniversary, GQ asked the question: "Why are so many guys obsessed with Master and Commander?"

The answer lies in the characters' onboard relationships, a commentary on modern masculinity.

"It's non-toxic masculinity," Crowe said.

"It's a harsh world, but you know that all of the rules and regulations are there for people's safety and to get the job done and all that, but there's none of that toxic masculinity."

Angus Truskett presents Culture King, a weekly dive into all things pop culture, on triple j Drive each Thursday afternoon.