User reviews

With such an incredible story that is incredibly emotional and inspiring, a trailer that really grabbed the attention and made me really want to see it and a very good cast (Colin Firth, David Thewlis, Rachel Weisz), 'The Mercy' had a lot in its favour and a lot going for it. So the potential in it being a good film was enormous.

On the most part, 'The Mercy' is a good, very good even, film, its best elements brilliant. Mostly it does justice to this astonishing story if not quite fully and does a lot right. It does live up to its trailer and the cast are far from wasted. 'The Mercy' also is not quite perfect and could have been even better than it was. Nothing is done terribly, far from it, there are a few elements though that could have been done stronger.

Where 'The Mercy' most excels is the acting and emotional impact. It is a very moving film (there are scenes where a couple of tissues is in order) with a rootable protagonist, presented as compellingly real and not neatly black and white. There are gripping and tense scenes on the sea, it really is an emotional story with a soul, and its restraint rather than going into overblown mode was really appreciated. Found myself inspired by it too.

Colin Firth wrenches the gut and brings tears to the eye in a powerful performance. Rachel Weisz's role was a little underwritten, but she is charming and affecting with her most emotive dialogue ringing true. Also found David Thewlis brilliantly cast.

'The Mercy' is exquisitely filmed with the use of locations well done, the sea is like a character of its own, likewise with the boat. The music is haunting and understated and it's all slickly directed and thoughtfully scripted. The film doesn't feel dull generally with a fluidly and fast paced first act with particularly compelling storytelling.

However, 'The Mercy' is not without issues. Not everybody is going to take kindly to some of the speculation and not so sensitive assumptions, particularly in the latter stages. The final act is not as strong as the rest of film, it's emotionally captivating but not as tightly paced, as dimensional, as detailed and not all of it felt resolved.

Sometimes the non-on the sea scenes could have been more developed and Weisz's character is underwritten and not as well used as she could have been (as said Weisz's performance is great having said that).

Overall, good film and nearly great, with a few tweaks it would have been the latter. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Though it is highly speculative and certain implications it heavily makes may be either irresponsible or insensitive because of this, 'The Mercy (2018)' has the advantage of an interesting mystery that affords a certain dramatic license simply because of the perspective it portrays. It represents a rather captivating and ultimately quite tragic tale of man vs wild and, perhaps more acutely, man vs both our inner demons as well as those of the ones we leave by the shore. I didn't know the real-life story and I'm glad I didn't, because it certainly goes in ways I didn't expect. The pacey first act is fast, fluid and fantastically well-told, even if its montage style is sometimes slightly tiring, but the picture always knows when to drop its anchor so that the slower moments can hammer home the rather blind-siding sad soul at the heart of this surprisingly moving flick. 7/10

Making a name for himself with brilliant documentary Man on Wire in 2008, filmmaker James Marsh has in the year's following struggled to get back to the highs of his Oscar winning feature (some would beg to differ with The Theory of Everything) with forgettable films such as Shadow Dancer and the largely forgotten about Project Nim littering his CV, which is why The Mercy is such a pleasant surprise.

While threatening to but never completely sailing to grand heights, Marsh's examination of the true story of amateur British sailor Donald Crowhurst and his quest to circumnavigate the ocean during the famous Times Golden Globe boat race in 1968 is a well-crafted and acted tale that sees Marsh on the best form of his career outside of Wire's release.

Filled with an almost unbearable foreshadowing of bad times and poor decisions, Marsh captures both the commendable sense of the will to accomplish something that drove Crowhurst to life changing decisions such as banking on his family home to finish the race through to the dread and terror that one can expect when traversing the wilds of the ocean alone on a yacht for near on one whole year.

It's an impressively crafted film and one that's anchored by a committed and physically embodied Colin Firth as the increasingly unhinged and mentally tormented Crowhurst.

In what acts as a nice escape for Firth from roles where he is more the dashing rougue rather than the downtrodden everyday blue collar sap, Firth is hugely impressive as Crowhurst, a man whose decisions we can't exactly condone but a man whose demise is still heartbreakingly real, raw and quietly haunting.

With Firth and Marsh both on fine form, its a shame The Mercy finds itself petering out towards its latter stages as the film gets bogged down covering similar ground while a drawn out finale starts to feel to agenda based and cinematically sappy, in turn zapping The Mercy from its solid and often captivating early work.

Final Say -

A strong, well-filmed drama that's a nice return to form for Marsh and a solid change of pace for Firth, The Mercy may not be a must-see but if a true life drama is what you are seeking, The Mercy has you covered.

3 1/2 home-made boats out of 5

It's 1968. Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle"; "Magic in the Moonlight"), an amateur sailor and entrepreneur based in Teignmouth, Devon, is inspired by listening to single-handed round-the-world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester and does a a crazy thing. He puts his business, his family's house and his own life on the line by entering the Sunday Times single-handed round-the-world yacht race. It's not even as if he has a boat built yet!

Lending him the money, under onerous terms, are local businessman Mr Best (Ken Stott, "The Hobbit") and local newspaper editor Rodney Hallworth (David Thewlis, "Wonder Woman", "The Theory of Everything"). With the race deadline upon him, Crowhurst is pressed into sailing away from his beloved wife Clare (Rachel Weisz, "Denial", "The Lobster") and young family in a trimaran that is well below par.

But what happens next is so ludicrous that it makes a mockery of whoever wrote this ridiculous work of fiction. Ah... but wait a minute... it's a true story!

It is in fact such an astonishing story that this is a film that is easy to spoil in a review, a fact that seems to have passed many UK newspaper reviewers by (aarrrggghhh!!). So I will leave much comment to a "spoiler section" on http://bob-the-movie-man.com. The trailer is also best avoided: this is honestly a film worth seeing cold.

What can I say that is spoiler-free then?

Firth and Weisz make a well-matched couple, and the rest of the cast is peppered with well-known faces from British film and (particularly) TV: Andrew Buchan and Jonathan Bailey (from "Broadchurch"); Mark Gatiss ("Sherlock", "Out Kind of Traitor"); Adrian Schiller ("Victoria"; "Beauty and the Beast").

The first part of the film is well executed and excellent value for older viewers. 60's Devon is warm, bucolic and nostalgic. In fact, the film beautifully creates the late 60's of my childhood, from the boxy hardwood furniture of the Crowhurst's house to the Meccano set opened at Christmas time.

Once afloat though, the film is less successful at getting its sea-legs. The story is riveting, but quite a number of the scenes raise more questions than they answer. As stress takes hold it is perhaps not surprising that there are a few fantastical flights of movie fancy. But some specific elements in Scott Burns' script don't quite gel: a brass clock overboard is a case in point. What? Why?

And it seems to be light on the fallout from the race: there is a weighty scene in the trailer between Best and Hallworth that (unless I dozed off!) I don't think appeared in the final cut, and I think was needed.

All in all, I was left feeling mildly dissatisfied: a potentially good film by "Theory of Everything" director James Marsh that rather goes off the rails in the final stretch.

This was a time where morality and honour were often rigidly adhered to - British "stiff upper lip" and all that - and seemed to carry a lot more weight than they do today. So some of the decisions in the film might mystify younger viewers. But for the packed older audience in my showing then it was a gripping, stressful, but far from flawless watch.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to pay my respects to the film's composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who shockingly died last week at the ridiculously young age of 48. His strange and atmospheric music for films including "The Theory of Everything", "Sicario" and (particularly) "Arrival" set him on the path to be a film composing great of the future. Like James Horner, another awful and untimely loss to the film music industry.

(For the full graphical review - and a spoiler section for those who have seen the film - please visit bob-the-movie-man.com. Thanks).

When I first saw this film, I really enjoyed it. Here's what I wrote:

"I'm sure there are elements here that most people can relate to, the pressure of pride, recognition, approval, acceptance, what it means to be a man, to impress, how far you have to go to prove yourself, and why. The whole story works as a metaphor for many relationships I have known, where the limbo strains communications (literally here with a radio he chooses not to use as much for fear of 'being found out'). The editing and use of flashbacks to weave together an impression of his emotional state is a great use of cinema. Its like an analogy of imposter syndrome, taken to the extreme."

I was so fascinated with the story, I read 'The Strange Voyage of Donald Crowhurst" and watched the documentary Deep Water. Then I saw The Mercy again. This time, the flatness of the film, the lack of effort, the pedestrian, workman hack-job sunday-afternoon-for-pensioners side of the writing/direction leaped out and made itself obvious. I couldn't believe I'd liked it so much before.

• Colin Firth is actually very miscast. He doesn't have the persuasive, determined, forceful arrogance of the real Crowhurst. Firth comes across as gentle and unassuming, not desperate for approval and recognition.

• The descent into madness is SO tepid in the film. On reading the book, there are so many conflicts, pressures and uncertainties that gradually crush Crowhursts mind, leading to him writing 25,000 words about becoming a cosmic being. Firth's version is asking for forgiveness and saying sorry, as though perfectly sane. Its not the real story by any means, and gives a horrid reflection of how affected Crowhurst actually was by his predicament.

• Unforgivably, its actually very boring on a rewatch. There is no depth or subtlety. The true story is so multifaceted and tense, its amazing to that the film is quite as flat as it is.

As many have mentioned before, the documentary "Deep Water" is better at telling the story than this film, but "The Mercy" still has its merits. The movie looks great for the most part in its 1960's setting, and the actors all do their jobs. I particularly liked David Thewlis and Rachel Weisz in their roles. Colin Firth is also good, but looks like a sad dog for much of the movie, even before his character gets into trouble in the beginning and eventually sets sail.

The movie almost rushes through the intro, with rapid speaking lines and stressed scenes that don't feel all that natural. This is actually a problem all the way through, as it never slows down enough for us to truly take in the isolation and loneliness that Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth, that is) must have felt in real life. We spend too much time on land and too little time at sea. As with many other films, it's hard to translate human thoughts onto the big screen ("The Old Man and the Sea" must be the classic example of this), and "The Mercy" fails on this note more often than it succeeds.

I do, however, still recommend the film, because it is still a good movie with good actors, and it's worth watching. It's just a shame that it doesn't reach its full potential, with a fascinating story such as this one.

I haven't seen "Crowhurst" (produced at the same time as "The Mercy", but by a different studio), but I've heard that that one is a bit better. In the end, "Deep Water" seems to be the best choice, however.

UPDATE (8 November, 2018): I have now seen "Crowhurst", and I am not sure if it's better than "The Mercy". I gave both films six stars. They are very different, however, as "Crowhurst" is more of a low-budget, theatrical art house film. It is also a character study, rather than a story-driven movie. Because of this, I think both films are worth watching, for their own reasons. "Deep Water" tells the story better than either of them, however and is indeed the best choice to watch.

Watch the doco on the man and the race here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460766/reference.

Way better than this. This really captures nothing of what it is like to be on the water alone. It is interesting we idolise the failure when the heroes in the race are so amazing. I feel sorry for the man, but what a crazy undertaking to take with so little experience. No one is really capturing what the real people are like.

The doco is amazing. I've watched so many times because the characters themselves are so incredibly different in themselves.

FYI, in this first race, it took about 9-10 months. Today, the record is shy of 43 days. This is usually contested every 4 years with the Vendee Globe, but there are always independent challenges. Truly amazing.

A fine follow up for James Marsh after his Oscar nominated "The Theory of Everything" This film is about a amateur sailor who hits the sea because he takes part in a competition to become the fast sailor to cross the sea on a boat ... If you expect a survival drama a la "All is Lost" you will be mistaken. Sure the film is also about survival.... physically but also mentally because it challenges its protagonist with a lot of moralic questions and situations. In fact the protagonist does it himself. The film is about overcoming your mistakes and if you are able to face them or not. Colin Firth is really good in the leading role and his casting was quite inspired. He gives one of his very best post Oscar performances. I also love how he developed. A truly interesting character for a great actor. Rachel Weisz was also fine, but often the material she was given to, did not justify her great talent. It was a rather seconary role that at least allowed her to show off at the end. The film had many nice shots, a really great score by late Johan Johannsson who delivered one of his last scores to that film. A great and rather unexpected ending (if you dont know the true story). Highly recommended to those who enjoy good acting cinema.

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, designing 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 supporting 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.

In the 60's a guy decides one day that he should risk all he has to race around the world in a yacht.

This is his story.

The first half of the movie concerns itself with the technical, financial and emotional aspects of the trip.

There are some obvious hurdles to this proposed jaunt around the globe.

The main character lacks money, experience, time and the most rudimentary knowledge of sailing in the high seas.

Because of the stiff-upper-lipness of the period everyone is very optimistic and polite about what appears, at first hand, his obvious suicide mission.

The back end of the film is about the race.

Watching someone bob around on the sea in a tiny boat it turns out is very, very dull.

This cast do a grand job bringing the reserved characters to life; Rachel Weisz easily steals the show .

The film is non-judgmental, non-sensational and well crafted.

It is nice to watch something that hangs around in second gear; but saying that it does (ironically) make for quite a dry watch.

This is a perfect film for a Sunday when you feel like something serious but not too taxing.

This was a role made for colin firth,with his low relaxed voice and correct dictation,he does a decent job,in a not too well written script and plot. having read the book,seen documentaries,and other ffilms about this conning and misfortunate advetourous edison/tesla like characcter, i would have expected more. why did he cheat are meagerly told,and the faith of his family after he vanishes shoulld also have been better told. the settings though are lovely,especially the part of teignmouth in the movie.its very authentic and well made. light an d editing are fine,the score are engaging.

...one of them being having delusions of grandeur or taking things too superficially. This leads to entering in enterprises largely overpowering you and thus to disaster. There is a thin line between daydreaming, being an adventurer and simply being a fool and there's something like common sense that should help one see the difference between. One warning also for the close relatives of such fools that sometimes you simply have to step and say "No". Terrible story.

I was not familiar with the story of Donald Crowhurst before I saw this movie. He was a dreamer with an adventurous spirit. I thought this movie might be similar to Kon Tiki but it was very different. Not so much an adventurous survival story, it was more psychological. This guy got himself in between a rock and a hard place. No spoilers. I rated it a 7, I love Colin Firth in pretty much everything and Rachel Weisz was terrific too.

I suppose any popular 101 minute treament of this story is going to struggle to explore the themes of male expectation, failure and isolation that are relevant to the Crowhurst story, and certainly for a film about being alone at sea for 7 months, we spend a lot time seeing pretty images of Teignmonth.

The script and pacing are rather generic in its box-ticking of events, the usual cliched news report voice overs and discussions in pubs chugging along the events in a necessary manner, while divorcing us from whatever Crowhurst experienced on his own, hearing of the travails of his competitors and how they variously piled new pressure upon his unfolding catastrophe. The second half of the film would have benefitted without showing any other characters at all. Of course his family were suffering from their hopes, of course his publicist and financier were taking advantage of him, but there was no of course about how Crowhurst's decent into madness led him to writing about 'cosmic beings'. The most intriguing part of the story remains untold, and it could only be examined through more isolation, more of the sea.

Beyond that, Colin Firth is miscast. Crowhurst was an eccentric, he was dashing and goofy at the same time, vigorously intelligent and utterly misguided, and Firth makes the whole terrible misadeventure look like the misspent Sunday afternoon of a Daily Telegraph reader. I suppose Firth was required for funding? Hardly his fault thoigh, but this role needed Hugh Bonneville, Martin Freeman, or a more left-field actor.

....the documentary "Deep Water" does a better job, it's worth finding.

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

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.

Worthwhile watch, nice twist , good Acting by Colin Firth

I can't decide, is this a tale of hubris and its consequence, or is this a tale of slow madness? Whatever it is, it is elegantly told with poignant performances. It is a sad story, even more so because it is a telling of an actual event for which we will never know the actual thoughts of a man who spent 7 months and 2 days alone on the seas. As the movie does, we can only speculate. I give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. {Drama based on a true event}