Under the lash of a demon

THE best seafaring yarns typically portray men under duress - a beleaguered crew in a desperate battle against a formidable adversary, whether it be the elements, an enemy warship or a great white shark. With all the necessary ingredients in place, In the Heart of the Sea had the potential to be a classic in the grand tradition but instead of humming with life, it flounders in a sea of mediocrity.

The true story of the American whaling vessel Essex and its epic encounter with a monster of the deep - a sperm whale of massive proportions - inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick in 1851 and Nathaniel Philbrick to write a non-fiction book in 2000 about the final voyage of the Essex.

Directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Charles Leavitt and based on Philbrick's book of the same name, In the Heart of the Sea depicts a fictional episode in which the last surviving member of the Essex flashes back to that tragic trip.