1. Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World
Of all the A-list actors working in Hollywood today, Russell Crowe is one of the few who has yet to take the lead in a profitable franchise. The one film in his output which at the time of its release looked likely to buck that trend was Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. Directed by Peter Weir, Master And Commander immediately strikes the viewer with its rich and detailed production design which feels utterly authentic. The performances, too, have an appreciation for the era with the delivery of dialogue and mannerisms, and beyond the attention to period detail the narrative offers a solid, often suspenseful portrait of life on board the HMS Surprise. Sadly, a raft of Oscar nominations and critical approval weren't enough to usher in a new franchise for Crowe - Master And Commander lost out on all but 2 of its ten Academy Award nominations to Peter Jackson's final Lord Of The Rings film, and the box office receipts just weren't high enough to warrant a sequel. As Peter Weir said, "I think that while it did well...ish at the box office, it didn't generate that monstrous, rapid income that provokes a sequel." What could have been an exceptional franchise never materialised, and Master And Commander is rarely spoken of as the great film it deserves to be recognised as. Do you agree with the movies featured on this list? What movies since 2000 do you think are criminally underrated? Why not let us know in the comments below?
