Horatio Hornblower - The Adventure Continues

Horatio Hornblower - The Adventure Continues
by Andrew Grieve

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• Ioan Gruffudd (Titanic) returns to action as C.S. Forester's swashbuckling naval hero Horation Hornblower in these two brand-new lavishly produced films which continue A&E's Emmy Award-winning series. Following his rapid rise through the ranks of the King's Navy during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars, Hornblower's latest adventures chart a course for unexpected peril as

Movie Reviews of Horatio Hornblower - The Adventure Continues

Movie Review: Whetting my appetite for more!
Summary: 5 Stars

This time around, the waters are murkier, the villain(s)more multi-dimensional, the choices harder as Horatio walks a fine line between strictly following the rules and saving his ship from certain catastrophe.

How do you deal with an unstable captain, an incompetent 1st lieutenant and a mission that's "heading for disaster?"

As usual, Horatio's intelligence, pluck and willingness to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY (unlike some characters I could mention) save the day, but not without mistakes on his part--and not without a price.

The supporting cast is brilliant: standout performances are given by Nicholas Jones, who embodies Buckland's dichotomy of well-meaning incompetence and self-serving vindictiveness and Phillip Glenister, whose Hobbs makes the transition from Sawyer's apologist to a man who is able to recognize and appreciate in Hornblower all the leadership qualities that Sawyer himself once possessed.

David Warner as Sawyer is a horrific, yet sympathetic Sawyer, and despite his cruel actions of the present, gives us fleeting glimpses of the great captain he once was.

The center of the piece is still Horatio, and Gruffudd plays him with just the right mixture of subtlety and elan. The sequence in "Mutiny" when Sawyer discovers Horatio sleeping on watch is exquisitely played by Gruffudd. We see--in a space of seconds-- Horatio's shock, near-panic, despair, fear, loathing, and bewilderment just from Gruffudd's reation shots alone.

Two nitpicks:

First, my wish is that the actual filming could have taken place at sea instead of on a stationary set, but that is a minor (MINOR!) quibble, and after reading interviews with the producer and director, I'm well aware of the logistics that prevented it.

Still, for the next installment in the series (I am very hopeful there will be one. ITV, what say you?), the cast and crew will surely "go back to sea" as the Hotspur is a much smaller vessel than either the Renown or even Indefatigable.

Second, I hope the next movie in the series has a tighter focus around Horatio, as the first four movies did. Having read the books, I realize that "Lieutenant Hornblower", upon which this series of movies is based, is told from another character's point of view and that the book itself gives vital backstory that sets up subsequent events in Hornblower's life. Still, I don't think the producers should underestimate the appeal of Gruffudd's Hornblower--it's his delving into the complex character of Horatio that made so many of us fans to begin with.

Anyway, I'm anxious for the next installment. I'm looking forward to seeing HH down and out in Portsmouth, marrying "the wrong woman" and cementing his friendship/working relationship with Bush. And for the action-minded, there's plenty of swash and buckle to be mined in the "Hotspur" story.

Hurry A&E!

Summary of Horatio Hornblower - The Adventure Continues