We meet Hornblower(Gruffudd, with a strong sense of justice, though he doesn't always make the right decisions) in prison - facing the charge of mutiny! With the framing device securely put in place, the rest of this is presented as one long flashback. Him and his men serve under Capt. Sawyer(Warner, who renders the role explosively unpredictable, going back and forth between unflinching determination, and resigning confusion, in his eyes), who they gradually come to doubt the mental well-being of. But the man is a hero! One of the most revered commanders - and his own crew hold him in such high regard.This is one of the most thrilling entries. With Sir Pellew(Lindsay, tough, but fair) no longer in charge of our heroes, the problem they face is at the top of their own ranks. This explores potential problems with the military where each post has the hands necessary to run it - what if just a few vital ones fail to live up to their responsibility? The filming(barely ever letting slip that this was made for TV), editing, writing, acting, production values(just look at those ships!), richness in detail, realism, all superb. Themes explored include the enemy within, loyalty, rules, leadership, and acceptance.There is some disturbing, bloody, brutal and violent content in this. I recommend this to fans of drama. 8/10

SPOILERS Every production which consists of many chapters has a black spot. Whether it's television series with a week season, or a drama with a weak episode, all have them. In episodes five and six, this magnificent series has it's black-spot.As third lieutenant aboard the HMS Renown, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is working under the legendary Captain Sawyer (David Warner). After a few major errors in judgement by Sawyer however, Hornblower and the other lieutenants begin to suspect the captain might not be entirely well. To remove him however means mutiny, and the punishment for this crime is death.After the irritating adventures in a French village in the previous episode, it is at least refreshing to get back out to sea in this stretched out two part encounter.Based almost entirely on either the HMS Renown or in the Lieutenants' trials, this story is a remarkably simple one which feels over long. Perhaps too much of a squeeze to have been contained into one two hour period, three hours feels excessive. In effect, we are left with a no win situation.As the slowly deteriorating captain Sawyer, David Warner is suitably aggressive and insane. Sadly this pushes him from seeming like a serious actor into an over the top one. Normally an outstanding actor, Warner frustrates in these episodes.Whilst Warner might not convince, series regulars Ioan Gruffudd, Jamie Bamber, Paul Copley and Sean Gilder all perform unsurprisingly well. All these actors have taken their characters to heart and made them their own, and it is a shame that one of them won't feature in any more episodes.The problem with both "Mutiny" and "Retribution" however is not acting, but purely that the script feels drawn out and grates on the nerves. Written by T.R.Bowen and Ben Rostul these episodes are far the finest of the series and could do with a rewrite.Even the almighty Hornblower series has a few bad episodes. Often the finest thing on British television, the series is let down in particular by both "Mutiny" and "Retribution". Featuring an excessive performance by David Warner and an awkward story, these episodes should have been so much better.

I am now addicted to Hornblower! This is one of the most realistic historical dramas out there.Everything in Hornblower is played to perfection, from the sets(fantastic, towering ships) to the costumes to the cast. The actorsare all so believable in their roles that it's hard to pull yourself outof that world. I had only flicked onto it by accident on TV, but I couldn't pull myselfaway. I have to say, Ioan Gruffudd is one of the best British actorsaround. If you haven't watched any of the series, well then, shame on you!

As with the other episodes in this made-for-TV series expanding on the many adventures of the sea legend, Horatio Hornblower's super human infallibility ruins all chance for suspense.As little Wesley Crusher ruined many seasons of THE NEXT GENERATION, Horatio Hornblower invincibly saves every situation. Each and every clever solution inevitably comes only from the lips of Horatio Hornblower. Immeasurably superior, Hornblower's main trouble in this movie series seems to be tolerating the many error ridden characters above and below him in the chain of command. A perfect being makes for dull story telling. So superior is our hero, that even those who attempt to help him are powerless to do something correctly unless Hornblower is there to direct and control their every move.What is the sense in telling a story about any person who cannot do wrong and will repeatedly win at everything every single time? What is the point of watching such a story?