WAR AT SEA FILM SEASON: Master and Commander ~ The Far Side of the World (2003) One of the best war at sea films ever made. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 American epic period war-drama film written, produced and directed by Peter Weir, set in the Napoleonic Wars. The film's plot and characters are adapted from three novels in author Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series, which includes 20 completed novels of Jack Aubrey's naval career. The film stars Russell Crowe a