Liam Neeson Movie:

Editorial Review:
Director Roger Donaldson (Thirteen Days) has breathed vibrant new life into the classic story of the mutiny on the Bounty. With a dream cast--Mel Gibson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Laurence Olivier, Liam Neeson, and Daniel Day-Lewis--and a script by Robert Bolt (Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia), The Bounty takes a revisionist tack through the well-charted waters of an oft-told tale. Hopkins's Captain Bligh is no raving sadist in the Charles Laughton mode. (Laughton played Bligh in the first Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935.) Instead, Sir Anthony plays Bligh as a hard-nosed imperialist explorer simply trying to get the job done in the time-honored manner: on the backs of the poor gobs under his command. Still, when Bligh's suppressed powder keg of rage finally blows, Hopkins is formidable indeed. Mel Gibson gives one of the most soulful performances of his career as mutiny leader Fletcher Christian. He's also at the height of his blue-eyed, buff good looks, and his romance with Tahitian maiden Mauatua (lovely Tevaite Vernette) is decidedly erotic. Liam Neeson is a veritable force of nature as the scrappy seaman Charles Churchill, and Daniel Day-Lewis is sublimely hateful as Master John Fryer, a pompous toady. With special effects to rival those of The Perfect Storm, the alluring eye candy of a tall-masted schooner under full sail, lush tropical greenery, and bevies of bodacious South Sea Islands babes, plus a gripping story line, The Bounty deserves a rescue from undeserved obscurity. --Laura Mirsky

The Bounty Reviews:
Mel's earlier passion.
2009-11-10 - This early Mel Gibson film features him as Fletcher Christian, the leader of the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. Anthony Hopkins is excellent as Captain Bligh, the moralistic seaman who cannot abide Fletcher's passionate relationship with a "savage" young woman. The film stresses the ambiguous character of both men, neither of whom are all good or all evil. Gibson's Fletcher Christian is an independent man who feels alternating pangs of guilt over his mutiny, coupled with a fierce desire to leave the shipboard life under Bligh that has become for him, a living hell. A good seafaring drama, showcasing both Hopkins' dramatic skills and Gibson's early image as a sensitive, passionate actor.


A+ for Hopkins
2009-09-06 - This is one of my favorite films, ever since I first saw it in the 1980's on video not long after it was released. But it does have its faults. For starters, Gibson really doesn't get a chance to shine in this movie, Anthony Hopkins more or less has the larger role and handles it well, but even he seems subdued at times. There was considerable more interaction between Gable and Laughton in the original. The person I had the most sympathy for was Greek composer Vangelis. I've been a fan of this guy's music even before "Chariots of Fire", but here, he too seems restrained. Much of the score fits nicely with the visuals, nearly etheral and dream-like at times, but occasionally you get the feeling he really wanted to cut loose with something a little more sweeping and dramatic, ala "Blade Runner", but it would have been out of context with the core of the movie.
Even after all these years, Tevaite Vernette is still a sight to behold. It's a shame this Tahitian-born beauty was a one-hit wonder, only doing this single film before returing to a normal life. I can certainly understand any man's fascination with her, as well as other topless island lovelies, but it would have been nice if the director had shown us more of the incrdeible beauty of Tahiti. As another reviewer said, this is a lush and well-photographed film, albeit with some faults. It's still better than the majority of what Hollywood is turning out now and well worth a look.

Newer Bounty
2009-07-17 - Part of dumbing down of film watchers -- the original had a deeper story line but the newer one was more what we've become accostomed to -- loved the photography. The product was delivered quickly and in good condition.

Ahoy there, maties!
2009-05-14 - You can't go wrong with a movie featuring a cast with the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Sir Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson, and Daniel Day-Lewis--especially when that cast is involved in a remake of the most famous (infamous?) mutiny of all time. Accordingly, THE BOUNTY is a magnificent film, not only because of the acting, but also due to magnificent visuals depicting tropical beauty to harsh brutality on the open sea.

Hopkins is a sensational actor; his portrayal of Captain Bligh--a gruff, by-the-book officer bent on accomplishing his mission and voyage--is compelling and memorable. He doesn't come across as a cold-blooded, raving, maniacal sadist, but as a hard man who exercises bad judgment, yet shows he, too, has feet of clay. In fact, Hopkins's Bligh demonstrates considerable humanity for his men who are adrift with him on the Bounty's launch boat following the mutiny--a launch that will miraculously navigate thousands of miles on the open ocean.

And Gibson puts his own spin on young Fletcher Christian, the most famous mutineer in all of literature. Gibson brings the torment the ship's mate is experiencing to the forefront, but often does it in Gibsonesque, over-the-top style. Neeson, Day-Lewis, and Olivier are all solid in their supporting roles. At two-plus hours, THE BOUNTY only drags (some) when the ship arrives in Tahiti, and the film goes into an inexplicable precipitous lull. But the eye candy at that point more than compensates for this temporary plot breach.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning


Sea Tales
2009-03-12 - This is an excellent version of a wonderful tale of 18th century sailing and so much better than the brand X version.

I can watch this again.