The time is 1968. The place is picturesque Tiegmouth, England. Based on a true story, "The Mercy" unfolds the saga of what appears too good to be true. A weekend sailor named Donald Crowhurst had decided to compete in the Golden Globe Race to outdo Francis Chichester in the fastest solo circumnavigation. The race is on!!! Then, everything goes wrong.

Colin Firth is good in the role of the overly confident Crowhurst, who has a dream of building a sleek boat and achieving fame with a fantastic feat of endurance and courage. He is supported by his three beautiful children and his devoted, long-suffering wife Clare (Rachel Weisz).

But there is a cloud hanging over this daredevil project after Crowhurst stakes both his business and his house on the success of the venture. And, apparently, he never confided in Clare about the financial jeopardy in which he was placing her and the children. Next, there are delays and cost overruns in the construction of the vessel with Crowhurst starting the race with the ship essentially unfinished.

Firth is successful in portraying the descent into madness of Crowhurst that ensues on the long and dangerous ocean voyage. Alone on the sea for seven months and two days, something snapped in the poor chap. What was to be the "triumph of the underdog" and the rise to fame of the super sailor turned into a tawdry story of failure, deceit, and, ultimately, cowardice.

A major flaw in the film was in the ocean voyage. It was never made clear what was the real voyage and what moments were occurring in Cowhurst's imagination. At one point, he goes ashore in Argentina, as he is in dire need of repairs to his boat. Of course, this act is in violation of the rules of the race. Was the Argentina scene real, or was it taking place in Cowhurst's sick mind?

One of the themes that is developed is the treatment of the Crowhurst story by the press, which includes the lust for sensationalism that is even more prevalent today than in the late 1960s. A hyperactive press agent is manically selling stories about Crowhurst's superhuman feat. At one point in the film, there was the hint that Crowhurst's triumphant return home would coincide with the landing on the moon in 1969.

But the end for Crowhurst was ignominy and abject failure. He wrote these telling words in his log book: "I have no need to prolong the game" and "It is finished - It is finished IT IS THE MERCY." He could have also written like Kurtz in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," "The horror! the horror!" The Crowhurst adventure was a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing but human stupidity.

Not too much on the challenges in sailing, either alone or with others, or even across an ocean. Noteworthy statements: That everything is always wet, and noisy from the wind. Being alone allows you to explore your weaknesses. You always fear the smallest of holes. A lot of movie time on family. No subtitles with at times poor enunciation; difficult even more so for those w/hearing issues. The British English can also be a challenge for other dialects. Some companies, e.g. Screen Media Films, Studiocanal, BBC Films force you to sit through their "other offerings" i.e. preview ads even though you already paid for their DVD.

When I first saw this film, I really enjoyed it. Here's what I wrote:

"I'm sure there are elements here that most people can relate to, the pressure of pride, recognition, approval, acceptance, what it means to be a man, to impress, how far you have to go to prove yourself, and why. The whole story works as a metaphor for many relationships I have known, where the limbo strains communications (literally here with a radio he chooses not to use as much for fear of 'being found out'). The editing and use of flashbacks to weave together an impression of his emotional state is a great use of cinema. Its like an analogy of imposter syndrome, taken to the extreme."

I was so fascinated with the story, I read 'The Strange Voyage of Donald Crowhurst" and watched the documentary Deep Water. Then I saw The Mercy again. This time, the flatness of the film, the lack of effort, the pedestrian, workman hack-job sunday-afternoon-for-pensioners side of the writing/direction leaped out and made itself obvious. I couldn't believe I'd liked it so much before.

• Colin Firth is actually very miscast. He doesn't have the persuasive, determined, forceful arrogance of the real Crowhurst. Firth comes across as gentle and unassuming, not desperate for approval and recognition.

• The descent into madness is SO tepid in the film. On reading the book, there are so many conflicts, pressures and uncertainties that gradually crush Crowhursts mind, leading to him writing 25,000 words about becoming a cosmic being. Firth's version is asking for forgiveness and saying sorry, as though perfectly sane. Its not the real story by any means, and gives a horrid reflection of how affected Crowhurst actually was by his predicament.

• Unforgivably, its actually very boring on a rewatch. There is no depth or subtlety. The true story is so multifaceted and tense, its amazing to that the film is quite as flat as it is.