Opening nationwide this weekend, Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea is a wonderful adventure film with great performances.
In The Heart of the Sea (Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Benjamin Walker, Ben Whishaw) – It is big. It is grand. It features phenomenal animation and sets. And it is from Ron Howard. What’s not to like?
In the Heart of the Sea is a beautiful, exciting, gritty film about the early 19th century maritime journey that inspired Herman Melville (played here by Ben Whishaw) to write Moby Dick. Sailing from its home in Nantucket in 1820, The Essex was the most modern whaling ship of its time. Under the command of untested Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and his veteran first mate (officer), Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), The Essex sets sail on a voyage of undetermined length to capture enough whale oil to meet its greedy owner’s expectations.
Over the years, I have found that my favorite movies are often told as flashbacks, and Howard uses that technique here. Instead of just telling the story, Howard has Melville traveling to Massachusetts in the 1850s to interview Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), the last survivor of the Essex journey. Nickerson has never spoken about the failed journey, even to his wife, but he is haunted by it. He hasn’t told the real story, which is one about the white whale that scuttled the ship and then stalked the survivors.
As he cuts back and forth between the interview and the adventure at sea, Howard deftly unveils the story of survival, will, and even cannibalism that saves the life of a few of the seamen. The cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle, who won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, is magnificent, complimented by fantastic animation and digital effects. Based on the book, “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” the screenplay is outstanding and the execution perfect.
Chris Hemsworth, the Australian actor who may be the hottest hunk on the planet, plays Chase as a swashbuckling optimist, the can-do leader who inspires the crew. Meanwhile, Benjamin Walker plays Pollard as the privileged captain more obsessed with his power as captain than with the safety of his crew. But the best acting in the film plays out in the small home of Nickerson where the interaction of the always superb Brendan Gleeson and Whishaw is positively electric. Together, they create the tension of the crew’s plight as the film reaches its climax. By the end, the survivors and the audience are exhausted. And, of course, Melville has the back-story for his epic fictional novel.
In the Heart of the Sea is certainly one of the best movies of the year thanks to Ron Howard’s amazing gift for telling stores based on history into great films.