Good start, but then it gets ruined

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I first read the Hornblower novels as a schoolboy and have reread them from time to time over the years when I wanted to escape to an era when life moved at 6 knots or less. In the books, Hornblower thought of himself as the `Midshipman that got sick at Spithead' in fact he was always getting sick at the beginning of every voyage. He was more than ordinarily plain in appearance and was plagued by being tone deaf in an era when Music was the highest form of art. Finally he was frequently terrified to the point of nausea by the things he had to do to survive. Yet, the reader saw that he overcame all of that by using his wits, determination and inborn intelligence and by persevering when others were panicking and giving up. Even into the latest novels as he became first a Knight of the Realm and later a Lord, he still felt that if folks knew the real Hornblower as only he knew himself they would see him as a failure and a sham. In these films A&E has cast Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower. He is physically attractive and most of Hornblower's self-perceived inner faults are ignored or only hinted at. We do see his fear of heights but very little else that allows us to see the `fallible Hornblower' that is so richly developed in the books. Yet so much of the rest of the story is there in such wonderful detail that it's hard to dislike or fault this series. I'm continually intrigued by the films because of the ways that they are faithful to the originals and by the ways that they stray. It's clear that some episodes so richly developed in the books include a dramatic element that is largely in Hornblower's thoughts. Due to the nature of the medium and the demands of the typical viewer, its clear that much of this will not work as a movie. What does puzzle me from time to time are the wholesale changes that are made where I can see no reason for the change. One prime example of that is strongly featured in the episode Mutiny. In the books when the captain is chasing through the ship trying to catch the mutineers and he falls down the hatch, only Hornblower is below decks. It is left to Hornblower's word that he fell. Several folks figure out that he MAY have been pushed and several credit Hornblower with being quick-witted enough to realize that if he pushed him, no one would be able to prove it. Only Hornblower knows for sure and even the readers never learn the truth. It's up to the individual to decide. I can see from others comments that perhaps they would enjoy the novels more than the movies.

The 'Mutiny' and 'Retribution' parts of the Hornblower series are the best till now. Even when the books do not develop characters much, and the previous parts give some lines, it is in these two parts that the series comes to an height. Good acting and beautiful photography, and a good story; it all makes this series worth watching, and especially these parts. Themes like good leadership, loyalty, honour, friendship are in potential not very easy to be communicated in these times, but in this case it is done in the right and proper way... never overdone, never unbalanced. In short, a good cast, nice story, good photography, good plot, very good acting: *****

Though they are listed as separate movies, A&E's _Hornblower: Mutiny_ and _Hornblower: Retribution_ together form a 4-hour movie that I found simply riveting. They are taken from the second book in C.S. Forester's Hornblower series, _Lieutenant Hornblower_; and while keeping the spirit of the book, add substantially to its drama and characterization.The first book in the series -- _Midshipman Hornblower_ -- was the basis for the first four movies produced by A&E. The original movies were wonderful as well, but the new movies are far more mature and well-produced in comparison.I highly recommend these movies to fans of historical drama, tall ships and Horatio Hornblower.

I found that Retribution was the most interesting part of the Hornblower series. David Warner as the insane Captain Sawyer was fantastic, and the most interesting character in the movie. What I liked about this movie {and all the other Hornblower movies} is how the writers turned barely mention characters in the book, and made them into people who help to drive the story. James Bamber as Kennedy was well defined and was an excellent addition to the movie. This was most definitely the best Hornblower movie.