The idea of the lone ship on the far side acting on its own on simple but direct general orders is mostly a notion for bygone era. The fact that navy ships once roamed the planet free from communication and orders, yet a mission somehow remained is pretty remarkable. As Dr. Edward J. Marolda of the Naval Historical Center senior historian suggests, "The movie reminded me that the Sailors of our Navy face the same deadly perils at sea today as they did almost 200 years ago."

Thinking that these crews were warriors, builders, sailors, ambassadors, and explorers all at the same time and it is simply hard to fathom. Today some wonder why the military could not protect a museum during the tail end of major battle, or why they cannot get electricity back.

While watching the movie one starts to wonder what the world of author Patrick O'Brian would have looked like had it included a few Michael Moores, the U.N., pesky international law, the modern Press Corps, France, and everything else that makes the situation in Iraq seem terribly difficult today.

The same perils as before perhaps, but also a bunch of new ones too. A reflection on the differences between then and now is what makes the movie so good.

Jackson Murphy is a commentator from Vancouver, Canada. He is a senior writer at Enter Stage Right and the editor of "Dispatches" a website that serves up political commentary 24-7.