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 attention to detail make Master and Commander one of the best tactical military war movies of all time.

Unfortunately, another seafaring movie with its own Captain Jack brought more competition to Master and Commander.

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)

Characters giving a toast in Master and Commander

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.

How Master And Commander Compares To Russell Crowe's Other War Movies

It's Easily Crowe's Best True War Film & One Of The Greatest Of All Time

Russell Crowe smiling with his captain's hat on in Master and Commander.

Crowe is known for his celebrated roles in action thrillers like American Gangster and crime dramas such as L.A. Confidential. He has demonstrated his wide range as an actor by also starring in prestige docudrama films like A Beautiful Mind and even period piece musicals such as Les Misérables. Master and Commander is only one of a handful of historically accurate war films Crowe has starred in, or at least war movies rooted in historical battles and events. Crowe's 2014 historical drama The Water Diviner is one of his few true war films, alongside 2024's Land of Bad.

Plenty of Crowe's action and thriller movies are war genre-adjacent, such as Robin Hood (2010), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and of course, his Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000).

Plenty of Crowe's action and thriller movies are war genre-adjacent, such as Robin Hood (2010), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and of course, his Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000). Tossing these into the mix makes it much more difficult to determine which war-themed Crowe film is the best of his filmography. Master and Commander is undoubtedly better than The Water Diviner and Land of Bad. Considering the war-themed Body of Lies (2008) and War Machine (2017), the latter being a comedic satire in which Crowe has an uncredited appearance, Master and Commander still blows its competition out of the water.

Crowe War Film	RT Critic %	RT Audience %
Land of Bad (2024)	67%	93%
The Water Diviner (2014)	63%	60%
Master and Commander (2003)	85%	80%
For the Moment (1993)	--	72%
Blood Oath (1990)	--	42%

Some of Crowe's early career deep cuts are more true-to-form war dramas, such as 1990's Blood Oath and 1993's For the Moment, which both received mixed reviews. Titled Prisoners of the Sun in certain countries, Blood Oath may be the heaviest war film Crowe has ever appeared in, even though it was his feature film debut. For the Moment is more of a romantic war melodrama starring Crowe alongside Christianne Hirt. 2022's Zac Efron-led The Greatest Beer Run Ever is also worth mentioning but is far from what you'd expect from a traditional war movie.

What Other War Movies Nail The Tactical Aspect Like Master And Commander?

Black Hawk Down & Zero Dark Thirty Create A Similar Sense Of Military Realism

Sailors taking positions on the edge of a ship in Master and Commander

War films that can achieve the rare feat of being technically accurate and massively entertaining belong in a rare pocket of film history. Master and Commander certainly belongs in that elite category next to other classic war epics such as Ridley Scott's phenomenal Oscar winner Black Hawk Down and Katheryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, which captured the true story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. While not everything in these films is completely authentic, the sense of realism these three movies capture enhances the viewing experience, adding layers of gravity and tension.

Among the best naval war movies, Master and Commander remains alongside The Caine Mutiny, Das Boot, and Battleship Potemkin. Considering the critical acclaim and technical expertise of Master and Commander, it's surprising that a sequel or prequel has yet to come to fruition. Since Master and Commander was first released in 2003, the same year as the first Pirates of the Caribbean, there have been four Pirates of the Caribbean blockbusters and zero for Master and Commander. While Master and Commander's box office performance was unsuccessful, its adherence to historical authenticity should have made it a franchise by now.

Source: The Seattle Times, Deadline