Crowhurst (2017) Reviews

• The art house version and character study of Donald Crowhurst's voyage

  AlexLindh2018-11-08

  *** POSSIBLY MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD *** Having seen the documentary ("Deep Water"), as well as the big-budget version of this story ("The Mercy"), I finally decided to give "Crowhurst" a chance. First of all, "Crowhurst" is much more low-budget than "The Mercy", and it looks like it. Secondly, where "The Mercy" focused on the journey and everything around it, "Crowhurst" is a character study and tries to convey what must have been going on inside Donald Crowhurst's mind and why things happened the way they did. At times, it feels like a student film. It's very theatrical. The film makers uses lots of colourful filters and montages as well as strange, symbolic shots to tell the story, both over-the-top and subtle. Donald (Justin Salinger) often talks directly to the camera, as if it's actually there and the only thing he can talk to. This would not have worked if the film was just trying to tell a story, but since the primary focus is what goes on in Donald's head, it actually works. One good thing I can say is that the acting from Justin Salinger is great. When he's over-the-top, he comes across as if he's really going insane; when he's subtle, he's just an ordinary man in a desperate situation. You feel sympathy for him in a way you don't do for Colin Firth in "The Mercy", even if Colin also did a decent job. The only scene I have mixed feelings about is the scene in Argentina. It is a good and quite shocking scene that fits the movie, but I'm pretty sure a big part of it is fictional. This is one instance where the film makers take some big creative liberties to tell their story. We also spend a lot more time at sea this time, compared to "The Mercy", which really lets us feel the isolation and loneliness that Donald must have felt during his voyage. The best moment for me is the ending, which I won't go into. We all know what (probably) happened in real life, but the way they do it here actually got me a little teary-eyed. Much more effective than in "The Mercy", in my opinion. In the end, I am not sure if "Crowhurst" is any better than "The Mercy". They both have their special merits, and they are very different from each other in their presentations. "The Mercy" tells the story better, but "Crowhurst" is a better character study. Both are good, but not great. Yet, both are worth watching. The real deal is the documentary "Deep Water", however. So if you're only planning to see one version of the story of Donald Crowhurst, that one's really the best choice, by far.