Survival is its own horror
Directed by: Ron Howard
Written by: Charles Leavitt, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Holland
Swift shot: Why should anyone care about a 19th Century whaling ship whose final moments remain shrouded in deception? How can a story like that be relatable today? We aren’t whalers, in fact the very idea of whaling is a violation and atrocity in Western culture. Yet, Ron Howard and his crew cinch up all the elements that make this story timeless. There is the struggle between men, between industry and class, between youth and wisdom and, yes, between man (the ruler of all his dominion) and beast. But, always, there is a reminder of the power of the deep, and the unknown, still unexplored that beckons us to brave the demons others avoid. Often overlooked is the price of that adventure, our very souls.
The prolific American novel, Moby Dick, was inspired by actual events, events that had remained hidden for a century. Until fairly recently, the true story of the Essex, a whaling ship that would be ill-fated, set out in 1819 to bring back that eternal necessity of man . . . oil. In the Heart of the Sea imagines Herman Melville searching out the truth before writing his epic. At the time, he is a somewhat successful author when he approaches the only survivor of the Essex to pay him three months worth of lodging for just one evening to listen what really happened in the vast expanse where she was reported to have run aground.
Chris Hemsworth plays Owen Chase, the son of a disgraced “landsman” who has attempted to break into the whaling industry by means of his skill on deck. This is his moment, as the film starts, he is set to captain his first ship, the newly minted Essex. He’s given a different job on the Essex though, he’s to play first-mate, baby-sitter really to neophyte naval officer, George Pollard (Walker). Pollard’s name will be hard to forget, because he’s the kind of character who goes around reminding everyone what his last name is – it makes him a seriously unlikable fellow.
Immediately there is friction between the two sailors, think Crimson Tide meets Jaws and you get an oversimplified comparison of this film.
Chase and Pollard despise one another, Pollard despises Chase for his contempt at being passed over by someone that doesn’t deserve the captaincy. Chase despises Pollard, because he knows the only reason he is helming the Essex is his surname, not his skills as a seaman. What you end up with is a strained existence for all aboard, desperately hoping to break up the monotony by filling the hold with whale’s gold, barrels of oil. They’ll do almost anything to that end.
Of course, the smug captain decides to take advantage of a dangerous storm at sea to test his men and prove he is the better leader over Chase. He’s wrong, and the Essex nearly capsizes during the tumultuous torrent. Realizing his failure, Pollard chooses to scapegoat Chase and orders him to turn the ship around and return home for repairs. Chase is no fool; though, and he wisely reminds Pollard that while he may have that name, he will dishonor it if they return empty-handed.
Finally, boredom is abated when they hear the famous bellow alerting each sailor that there’s bounty in the briny, “Blow!” Through the eyes of the virgin cabin boy, on his maiden voyage, Thomas (Holland) is baptized in the bloody spout of one of the unfortunate whales that the Essex first claims. All told, their efforts yield under 50 barrels, and Chase had promised 2,000 barrels before returning to port. They have a long way to go before they can return, and it has been over a year when they make their way to Ecuador to gather some rations and other supplies.
It’s in Ecuador that they encounter a one-armed Captain who tells them about “The Demon,” a white whale who killed six of his men and crippled him, for life. Of course, he explains, a demon like that is as far off as any man would dare go, and they head out to “The Grounds,” some 2,000 miles off the African coast.
They aren’t going there to see some mammoth creature, rather they are enticed by the scores of schools being protected, allegedly by this pale devil. And since all their other spots have been fished out, they are urged there by greed or perhaps something more, glory? The narrator would have you believe greed leads them all to their fate; I think it’s more about glory and honor. And maybe there’s a tinge of that wonder at sighting the sperm whale responsible for so much misery.
The sailors venture out, deep unafraid
Glory in their hearts shrouds, their minds do fray
The demon waits for all men, to destroy
The beast is seen, at last, sends them to hell
A foudroyant entrance they ne’er forget
I never read Moby Dick, but I understand Melville put some iambic pentameter in there as a nod to the bard. So, I thought I would give it a shot, and finally get to use foudroyant in a review.
At any rate, after the most famous whale, since the bible, makes his entrance, the film shifts . . . as you were expecting all along. This is one of those films where you have a good idea about the fate of those throughout, but you might be surprised in the end. I was.
The unnamed menace lives up to his malevolent unholy moniker, demon. He doesn’t merely sink the Essex, he stalks her survivors and his follow-through would be admirable in any human hunter. Finally, he has a climactic showdown with Chase, as is only to be expected in a work of fiction, or perhaps an incredible non-fiction, where the fates and the feathers fall in place in a harmonious balance of art and story.
Ron Howard and his Director of Photography went through painstaking efforts to make this as authentic a nautical adventure as possible. The different uses of cameras at all manner of angles added to the chaos and confusion of those actually experiencing the disorder. Credit to all of the actors for making their characters tactile and real. And a special shout out to Cillian Murphy whose turn as Matthew Joy, while a small part, manages to tell us much about his character without ever revealing anything with words.
There are three reasons you should watch this film, primarily, the effects were handled in a way that brings the nautical adventure to the screen in a larger than life way that’s been missing in Hollywood for several years. The story was fascinating to watch, as it was as real as you could imagine any fish story could be. Real life doesn’t always end the way you want in a film, which is what makes a film exceptional in some cases. Hollywood loves to make things sexier or more appealing, I didn’t get the sense of that with In the Heart of the Sea. Finally, you’ll really care about these people and wonder what choices you might have made in their shoes to change their fates.
And before you judge these men too harshly, don’t kid yourself, if your iPhone worked off of whale oil, you’d be singing a different tune.
