Director: James Marsh
By Alex Watson
While this is perhaps a more restrained effort than expected, James Marsh does an excellent job of showing the plight of sailor Donald Crowhurst. The Mercy show demonstrates that the of dreams is very much the subject matter here and thanks to a wonderful measured turn by Colin Firth, we see first hand how sometimes risks do not pay off. The open oceans are the real villain of this piece and Marsh shows us that when facing nature- man is always powerless.
Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth) is a struggling businessman and sailing enthusiast. Desperate to keep his failing business afloat, Crowhurst decides an around the world race to win a 5000 cash prize. Hopelessly inexperienced and sailing a boat seemingly doomed for failure, Donald still pushes on. When finally out in the ocean, he soon realizes he either faces ruin by turning back or certain death by continuing. Keen not to face oblivion, Crowhurst decides to make fake entries in his log book to hide his failure.
The Mercy is a movie that puts both its audience and its main star through the emotional wringer. Early on, we realize that Crowhurst is a man of big dreams, but thinking big doesn't always equal success. His loving and devoted wife Clare (Rachel Weisz) clearly dreads the prospect of her husband sailing away into the unknown. Woefully underprepared, Crowhurst is more or less a weekend sailor taking the biggest risk of his life. Seeing an opportunity, sneaky publicist Rodney Hallworth (David Thewlis) comes forward and begins promoting Crowhurst's race as the ultimate underdog story. In reality, it is little more than a suicide mission and this man is a lot of more than bragging rights at stake. In the early stages, Marsh does an excellent job of mixing a bright optimistic outlook with a sense of swirling gloom overhead.
When this picture finally embarks on its open water voyage, it doesn't take long for the audience to realize that Crowhurst is in way over his head. His boat quickly falls apart and he appears set for certain failure. When he decides to fake his log book positions, he turns from being a plucky underdog to a forward-thinking survivor. His boat will not stay together in the condition it is in, but he also has to be careful. He cannot win the race but he also cannot come higher than last as it will arouse suspicion. While at sea, there is perhaps too much restraint and while Marsh does a fine job of conveying the sense of fear and desperation by Crowhurst, we don't feel the mania and isolation that would eventually result in his downfall. Simon Rumney's upcoming biopic 'Crowhurst' reportedly has this in spades. His pride is shown as the real driving force and having signed over everything to sponsor Stanley Best (Ken Stott), he has little option.
Few will be prepared for the devastating blow that The Mercy delivers in its final act. Throughout this picture we see Crowhurst keen to protect his family from embarrassment. His phone calls to them through Marsh's film have a resounding emotion to them. We can almost feel the shame radiating off our hero as he hears the pride in their voice. In reality, our hero is a man pushed into a dangerous situation simply to prove his worth. The context in which we should view Crowhurst as the victim is debatable and many different adaptations have put their own unique spin on things. This one is a lot more simple and paints the picture of a man just wanting his family to survive.
Colin Firth delivers a performance that is up there with some of his best. During the movie's key points he wonderful underplays the mania which Donald Crowhurst apparently descended into. He still maintains his typical stiff upper lip but he does a fine job of showing the continuous emotions washing across his face. Rachel Weisz is also strong despite limited screen time. Playing a wife who knows her husband may not make the trip, but is determined to support him anyhow, Weisz, as usual, is remarkable.
The Mercy is a movie which shows to devastating effect how even the best intentions can lead us down the wrong roads.
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