henrywillis The Bounty by Roger Donaldson is a rousing sea adventure with some fascinating character study and great acting. Anthony Hopkins portrays William Bligh who in real life was a subordinate of James Cook and later the master of the Bounty upon which the famous mutiny occurred. The cinematography is lush and the pacing efficient to say the least. The actors here are, apart from the aforementioned Hopkins- Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson, Daniel Day Lewis and in a cameo of sorts Laurence Olivier, so you can imagine the star wattage on display. All in all this is a great film for sea enthusiasts, history buffs or fans of the actors.

Geoffrey DeLeons I want to make it clear that I liked this film. The acting was good, the cinematography outstanding and the story compelling. The scenes of Bligh at the Admiralty were excellent and well-timed. However, there were some missing elements that would have enhanced the effectiveness of the scenes and the movie as-a-whole.Most of what I consider to be critical-yet-absent stuff is character development: What is Bligh's past, and why was he so adamant on challenging the "roaring forties" at Cape Horn? How did Mr. Christian become an officer in the Royal Navy and then, quickly, lose all sense-of-duty or even interest in sailing after a Polynesian girl gives him "the eye"?Other un-adressed equations are: Just how dangerous was it for a ship to challenge Cape Horn? Could they have done it some other time-of-year? Was Bligh's intended revisit to the Cape the sole reason for the crew's mutiny?One scene I found most unconvincing was the scene where Bligh barks out orders to clean and maintain the ship. This would have been de rigeur on any vessel at the time. Crews clean and maintain and test endlessly, and the scenes of the crew demoralized and unhappy about having to clean are laughable.The music by Vangelis did not help the scenes, nor add to their effectiveness. I will never know just how dangerous the mission "around the horn" would have been for the Bounty, because it is never explained: Just a few more lines of dialogue would have been adequate.If I fill in the holes, I see a lieutenant obsessed with making a mark that will earn him the rank of captain. We see a crew that has found paradise and doesn't want to leave. We see a fair first mate who is somewhat sympathetic to the crewmembers. The Bounty needed to introduce us to Bligh, the man, his history, his psychology. We needed to have-described the history of Cape Horn, in regards to previous, attempted navigation and passage of sailing vessels. We need to know why Mr. Christian incited mutiny: Because of cleaning duties? I think not. If these elements had been fleshed-out in the movie, I would have been much more engaged.

vincentlynch-moonoi Mel Gibson. Young. Handsome. Still seemingly innocent. A pleasure to remember how he once was.But beyond that, this is a brilliant film. If it has one real fault, it could have stood a bit more editing. It really didn't need to have a run time of 132 minutes, although, on the other hand, that length gave more opportunities for the kind of detail that makes the film more complete than earlier versions.It is interesting that the first half of the film portrays "Captain" Bligh in an almost favorable light. Although then, suddenly, when the ship leaves its paradise, he becomes an almost raving maniac. That is, perhaps, another fault of this film; it seems unlikely the captain would snap so suddenly. Even with Bogie in "The Caine Mutiny", the transformation is somewhat more gradual.The cast here is excellent. Mel Gibson i great here as Fletcher Christian, although it is amazing how little actual dialog he has in long portions of the film; which is okay. Anthony Hopkins' performance here as "Captain" Bligh is rather restrained for much of the film, perhaps making things a bit more realistic; watching one scene where he is sweating profusely made me wonder if this film led to Hopkins eventually playing Nixon. Although his part is small, it is good to see Laurence Olivier as Admiral Hood of the investigating committee, and Edward Fox, also a member of the investigating committee. Liam Neeson had an early role here; uneventful. Wi Kuki Kaa is interesting as King Tynah. Daniel Day-Lewis is also here.What's interesting to remember is that this film is based upon a true story, and a rather fantastic one at that....particularly after the mutiny. In the little I have read, this film version is probably reasonably faithful to the true story.

Armand example of measure. in acting, story, characters portraits. a remarkable cast. and inspired music. a film who can be disappointed for the hunters of historical truth details. but a good gift for admirers of Anthony Hopkins or Laurence Olivier. a film who has as axis the music of Vangelis and examples of admirable performances- except, maybe, Mel Gibson who prefers create a role without root - but the work of Wi Kuki Kaa is a nice compensation, wise in solutions for atmosphere and for the tension, with a little brutal end, it is more than a good film. the source of this status - the balance between courage and science.and the flavor of pure chronicle of an exceptional case.