Movie

Hornblower: The Even Chance

1998 · 100 min

A sturdy, salt-sprayed coming-of-age adventure that balances boyish earnestness with the grim cruelty of shipboard hierarchy and sudden violence.

Directed by: Andrew Grieve
Genres: War, Adventure, Tv movie
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy

Overview: Portsmouth, 1794. Under thundery skies and in lashing rain, 17-year-old midshipman Horatio Hornblower takes the first tentative steps of his naval career, but a feud with a shipmate causes complications.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Andrew Grieve
Genres: War, Adventure, Tv movie
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: coming-of-age
betrayal
loyalty
justice
survival
Places: sea
military
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: serialised
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	5
Horror	2
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	0
Tension	6
Darkness	5
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	6

Titles like Hornblower: The Even Chance

Movie

Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant

1998

A tense, character-driven naval drama that balances duty and hardship with moments of warmth and heroism.

Same director: Andrew Grieve · Tense, earnest · about coming-of-age and loyalty

Also: Same director: Andrew Grieve
Via: tense
earnest
coming-of-age
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 93 min

Details

Hornblower: The Examination for LieutenantHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Hornblower

1998–2003

Salt-sprayed wooden ships, creaking rigging and stern faces; a patient, upright naval adventure that rewards attention with hard-won tension.

Same director: Andrew Grieve · Tense, earnest · about coming-of-age and loyalty

Also: Same director: Andrew Grieve
Via: tense
earnest
coming-of-age
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 3

Details

HornblowerHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Odyssey

2026

A vast, brooding voyage through myth and memory, grand in scale yet heavy with guilt and longing.

Tense · about survival

Via: tense
survival
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 173 min

Details

The OdysseyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

H.M.S. Defiant

1962

A stiff-upper-lip naval drama of claustrophobic decks, simmering cruelty and duty, building to broadside battles and moral reckoning.

Tense, earnest · about betrayal and loyalty

Via: tense
earnest
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details

H.M.S. DefiantHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Treasure Island

2026

A tense, sea-soaked voyage that tests a boy's innocence against greed and betrayal, with a serious, period-adventure atmosphere.

Tense, earnest · about coming-of-age and betrayal

Via: tense
earnest
coming-of-age
betrayal
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 1

Details

Treasure IslandHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

2003

A tense, immersive voyage that balances thrilling cat-and-mouse naval action with quiet, humane moments among the crew.

Tense, earnest · about loyalty and survival

Via: tense
earnest
loyalty
survival
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 138 min

Details

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the WorldHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Sharpe's Battle

1995

A gritty, fast-moving Napoleonic adventure with rough camaraderie, sudden violence, and a bittersweet cost to every victory.

Same writer: Russell Lewis · Tense, earnest · about betrayal and loyalty

Also: Same writer: Russell Lewis
Via: tense
earnest
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 102 min

Details

Sharpe's BattleHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Mutiny on the Bounty

1935

A grand, old-fashioned sea epic that pits cruelty against conscience, sweeping you through hardship, rebellion, and far-flung shores with moral weight.

Tense, earnest · about betrayal and loyalty

Via: tense
earnest
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 132 min

Details

Mutiny on the BountyHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Sharpe

1993–2008

A rousing, gritty historical adventure with rough-hewn charm, sharp class conflict, and hard-fought battles that keep you rooting for the underdog.

Same writer: Russell Lewis · Tense, earnest · about betrayal and loyalty

Also: Same writer: Russell Lewis
Via: tense
earnest
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 7

Details

SharpeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Gladiator

2000

A sweeping, somber epic that mixes brutal arena spectacle with a slow ache of loss and a stubborn drive for justice.

Tense · about betrayal and justice

Via: tense
betrayal
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 155 min

Details

GladiatorHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Das Boot

1981

A claustrophobic, grueling descent into war's tedium and terror, leaving you exhausted and moved.

Tense · about loyalty and survival

Via: tense
loyalty
survival
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 150 min

Details

Das BootHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

1951

A grand, old-fashioned naval adventure with sweeping sea battles, a tender romance, and a stoic hero navigating duty and love.

Earnest · about betrayal and loyalty

Via: earnest
betrayal
loyalty
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 117 min

Details

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.Hidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: war, adventure, tv movie
Directed by: Andrew Grieve
Written by: Russell Lewis
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy, Michael Byrne, Robert Bathurst, Duncan Bell, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder
Music: John E. Keane
Cinematography: Neve Cunningham
Runtime: 100 min
Country: United Kingdom
Languages: English

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Hornblower: The Even Chance

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Hornblower: The Even Chance

Where to watch in the UK

Details