Little hope of tragedy staying afloat
The Mercy
(Cert 12A, 102 mins)
Fifty years after the Sunday Times launched the Golden Globe Race — offering a £5,000 prize for the first sailor to single-handedly navigate the world non-stop — the fate of one entrant is still anchored in uncharted waters.
Amateur yachtsman Donald Crowhurst (played by Colin Firth) set sail in October 1968 in an unfinished triple-hulled yacht laden with untested, newfangled gizmos. He provided updates via radio and caught the public imagination by taming stormy seas and gaining ground on more experienced competitors.
Unfortunately, his heroics were a web of lies and on July 10 1969 his boat was discovered in the Atlantic without any sign of its captain.
It was presumed Crowhurst had committed suicide because he could no longer maintain the facade of his false voyage. His body has never been recovered.
The Mercy is a handsome but emotionally waterlogged dramatisation which struggles to keep a real-life tragedy afloat. A ramshackle script bobs between present and past, inserting flashbacks to happier times for Donald with his wife Clare (Rachel Weisz) as his sanity unravels at sea.
Weisz is stranded on dry land and off screen for extended periods, so she fails to make a significant impact.
Being lost at sea with Firth would be a dream vacation for some people and the Oscar-winner delivers a committed performance.
However, it’s a struggle to tether an emotional connection to his tormented sailor and interest goes overboard before Crowhurst contemplates a shame-fuelled sacrificial plunge.