THE MERCY

This film is based on a true story about a man who was either a Lovable Eccentric or a Crazy Egomaniac depending on your point of view.

His name is Donald Crowhurst and since he is played by Colin Firth we are naturally sympathetic to him, especially given that the early scenes establish that he loves his family, comprising wife Rachel Weisz and three adorable children.

The year is 1968 and Donald, a somewhat unsuccessful inventor, gets the idea into his head to enter the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race.  It's a crazy idea because Donald is at best only an amateur sailor, and because to raise the money to build a boat he has to give his house and business as security.

His wife is unbelievably supportive.  Early on I think she is just humouring him (fair enough) but you'd think that she'd blow a fuse at the idea of their home and livelihood being put at risk.  Then again it was 1968 and women were expected to be subservient.

The only logic to the enterprise is that Donald (and his bank manager) hope that success in the race will be good publicity for his business, so he employs a press agent (a nicely droll performance by David Thewlis) to spread the word.

Donald does get cold feet as the date of departure looms but he's in too deep to back out, so off he goes, even though the construction of the boat was a bit rushed towards the end.  

Once in the Atlantic Ocean things don't go well and once the boat starts developing problems  Donald has to decide between returning home to financial disaster, or carrying on to the dreaded Southern Ocean and almost certain death.  Or is there a Third Way?

Indeed there is.  Donald hits upon the simple wheeze of lying each day as to his location.

Cue lots of excitement back home as he is seemingly tearing along, so much so that he even has a chance of winning.  Press agent and bank manager are very happy about all the national interest even if wife is less so, as all she is worried about is her husband's safety.

The end of the film is a little anticlimactic.  Donald, who has been pottering around the Atlantic for several months (with one short stop in Argentina to repair the boat), begins to go a bit doolally.  He's hoping to finish last because then no one will pay much attention to his log books but unfortunately one by one the other competitors drop out.

Eventually Donald's boat (minus Donald) is discovered drifting, and his deception is discovered.

To this day we don't know if he fell overboard or if he jumped overboard.  

Initially people were annoyed at the deception and had a low opinion of Donald, but with the passage of time feelings have mellowed, and now he is seen as more of a plucky underdog who bit off more than he could chew, and that is very much the way this film portrays him.

Firth and Weisz of course are both accomplished actors, and together they elevate this simple tale into an absorbing enough watch.

RATING: ✓ Cheers