RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

josharples-06597 A predictable storyline for those who know about Crowhurst but well acted by Colin Firth and a well made movie.

Ian It's easy to see what attracted Firth, Weisz, Thewlis et al to the movie.It is very 1960s and it captures the period well. It's also a very interesting tale.The main problem probably lies with the direction or possible the editing. Many scenes are drawn out to the point where you want to reach for the Fast Forward button. They're aiming for tension and suspense but it just doesn't work and makes viewing tedious.Another problem is that once you've got the gist of the story, most of the subsequent events are a repetition of what's gone before so you've both repetition and tediousness. Okay, it's not quite as bad as that might make it sound and the actors elevate it to watchable status.If you like tales of the sea or the actors, give it a whirl but you won't be missing much if you decide not to.

Kapten Video A heart wants what it wants. It's the end of the 1960's, and this solid family man (Colin Firth) wants to take his Sunday hobby of sailing to the ultimate level, deg his own boat and travelling around the world in six months - alone, as part of the contest.Also starring, Rachel Weisz as the man's wife, David Thewlis, and, well, a whole lot of ocean. Based on a true story, by the way.The central part of "The Mercy" is watching Firth's character Donald Crowhurst defying dangers and both physical and psychological hardships of sailing the ocean, having to rely only on his hands, wits and hope that nothing critical breaks down because the contest won't allow making stops or having breaks during the world travelling tour.A worn-down man sulking on a boat in the middle of nowhere might seem like a boring idea for a feature-length movie, but somehow the authors have managed to get it right, so it turns out to be quite a gripping.What was essentially a exhausting and monotonous journey where the main activities were shovelling out the water and trying to keep the whole thing from drowning, is enriched by portraying the gradual mental eroding of Crowhurst.Colin Firth is known as versatile actor and you can bet your sweet bottom that he does a wonderful job at conveying the depression, loneliness, exhaustion and general distress of his character, so he is able to command our attention whenever he's on screen.And all that is his usual reserved and delicate way, living the character, not acting it.It's easily an awards worthy performance although at this time it's way too early to predict his chances of getting an Oscar nomination.The same goes, by the way, to Rachel Weisz who has created a a surprisingly soulful and charming ing role from what surely must have been a mostly decorative one on paper.She does not have much screen time actually, but it gets compensated by a powerful speech in the end. A true Oscar moment, as they would say.Parallel to Crowhurst's journey, we see bits from the life of people who wait for his return, including the family - but also his promoter trying to earn him some money for the expensive trip that threatens to bankrupt the whole family.This turns out to be the movie's weakness which, while not quite ruining the dramatic impact of the whole thing, does not actually expand or strengthen the main story in a meaningful way.It's okay in short doses - if only for variety's sake - but its emotional "nutritive value" falls flat compared to what's happening on the sea.The director James Marsh's previous project, "The Theory of Everything", suffers from the same deficiency. It's pretty and watchable but he should have trimmed the final act.That's all I wanted to say about this one. "The Mercy" is pretty good but its shallower side holds it back a notch. I am happy to have seen it but it will not linger on memory for long. Although I did like the deeper message that with grandiose plans comes a danger of falling into prison of one's own ego.We have seen many instances of at least two similar-themed movies released in the same period of time. It also happens here, with "The Mercy" preceded by premiere of "Crowhurst" by almost five months, although the latter got a proper cinema release in the U.K. a few weeks later.

seshy I know the story told here well, I've read a couple of books including 'A Voyage for Men' which is excellent and also saw the previous documentary film at the cinema called 'Deep Water' from about ten years ago, which I thought told the story more compellingly using witness interviews and actual footage and audio recordings of Donald and Clare Crowhurst themselves. Oh, and also Teignmouth where most of this film is set, is my hometown.This is a tragic and moving story in my opinion. The director and the cast are top drawer and all put in good performances, especially Rachel Weisz - a tower of strength within a family where she is the glue that holds them all together - yet her fragility is just below the surface. You glimpse it from time to time, but she is basically a strong and stoical woman. The cinematography and the sets/locations are good, and the pacing is good. However, (and it is a big however), there is a missing spark. I think they needed to add more edge and suspense to the events that occur towards the end of the film -what happens to Nigel Tetley, how Crowhurst's boat is discovered and the fall out that follows back at home, as the truth is pieced together. Basically there are opportunities throughout the story to make it more gripping and compelling, and those opportunities were not fully grasped by the filmmakers. Instead, you're just left with a long downward story arc. The last half hour of the film is largely filled with sorrow and regret of all those involved - and that's how the film ends.The release speaks for itself - I saw virtually no promotional interviews or appearances on TV and Radio leading up to the film's opening a couple of weekends ago. A studio movie where the two leads are oscar winners, and no promotion of any description? I saw this film at my local multiplex the weekend of release. It was a saturday early evening and there were about 15 of us in an auditorium for 200?? A shame, and somewhat of a missed opportunity when you have the talent that is on display here at your disposal. Read the book I mentioned above and watch Deep Water, This film could have been in the league of ' The Theory of Everything' or 'A Beautiful Mind' if the writer and director has brought a different approach to the source material.