Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
runamokprods Based on a real life incident of Australian soldiers charged with murder -- for political reasons- - during the Boer war. Echoes of Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", but the morality here is more gray. These men have indeed done awful things, but only as part of a war full of awful things. Thus, while your heart is with the protagonists, there are moments you question them almost as much as the Kangaroo court they face. The acting is excellent throughout, and what was originally a play has been opened up just enough so as not to feel it, without feeling forced. Some of the moral complexities could have been explored with more depth, and there is a slightly disturbing suggestion of making "I was just following orders" a viable defense for war atrocities, but I'd much rather question an intelligent, challenging picture"s point of view, then not be challenged at all.
lastliberal An Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, and winner of almost every award given by the Australian Film Institute. The only reason it didn't win every award was that two actors from the film were competing for Best Actor, and three were competing for Best Supporting Actor.The film involves a courts martial initiated for political reasons against Australian soldiers fighting in the Boer War.Edward Woodward was Lt. Harry 'Breaker' Morant, who ordered the execution of Boer prisoners under verbal orders of the British Government. He, and two others were on trial after the German Government complained that one of those executed was a German missionary.Jack Thompson was Maj. J.F. Thomas, who was defending them. Both Woodward and Thompson gave splendid performances.Thompson's summation was outstanding, but it was to no avail as the graves were dug before the trail began.Bryan Brown was excellent as Lt. Peter Handcock, one of the three on trial, as was Lewis Fitz-Gerald and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell.
Eumenides_0 'Breaker' Morant is one of the finest movies I've seen in a while. Set at the beginning of the 20th century, it takes the viewer to the war between the British Empire and the Bower population in South Africa, a war that was mostly about land possession.The Bower War wasn't a conventional war. It wasn't fought between gentleman officers with rules of conduct. It was a guerrilla, hit-and-run war where the British enemies were farmers. This type of war was so unusual the British had to create a special corps to fight in it: the Bushveldt Carbineers, men who fought behind enemy lines and sometimes used unusual methods to deal with the enemy.In this movie, three soldiers are court-martialed for killing prisoners. However the court's intention is not to serve justice. In fact the three soldiers are scapegoats: for being charged with killing a German missionary, the authorities hope that with a conviction they'll appease the German government, which is favorable to the Bowers. Furthermore, by serving justice, the British want to make a good impression at a future peace conference. In other words, the soldiers are nothing means to political ends.The court is a farce and the authorities expect a quick conviction. They've rigged everything: witnesses in favor of the defendants have been sent to India, and an amateur lawyer is found to defend them. What they didn't expect is that the lawyer would give such a fine defense and slowly he dismantles the impartiality of the court to reveal the farce underneath it.The cast is very strong. There are many faces here that anyone can recognize from small roles in forgettable movies: Brian Brown (Cocktail), Jack Thompson (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) – and more famous faces like Edward Woodward (The Wicker Man). And they're all impressive. I especially loved Thompson's performance as the defense lawyer, a man who initially appears silly but quickly reveals to have a sharp mind capable of dissecting all the lies and contradictions in the prosecution's arguments. Woodward was also unforgettable as Harry 'Breaker' Morant, a poet turned soldier who slowly loses his mankind during war, especially after his friend is brutally executed by the Bowers. More than anyone in the movie, he understands the new type of war being fought and changes his tactics accordingly.And then there's the screenplay, the amazing screenplay, one of the most intelligent and witty screenplays I've ever seen in a movie. Just about every line is perfect in the movie's context, the pacing is exciting, and the non-linear storytelling for once makes the movie more interesting. Each line helps give each character complexity, while also remaining very funny. This is a funny, entertaining movie, in a sort of gallows humor way. But it's also rife with interesting points about the nature of war, the politics of war and the sacrifices in the construction of an empire.Although war is practically absent from this movie, 'Breaker' Morant, in the guise of a courtroom drama, manages to speak more about war than many movies combined.
davidg2e This is a remarkable film that remains as fresh as when it was produced. Edward Woodward has always been a favorite of mine and he was masterful as the title character. He seems incapable of giving any less than a strong performance in a variety of roles. "The Wicker Man" comes to mind, as well as the many episodes of "The Equalizer." It is easy to imagine the conflicts that inevitably occur between military superiors and the men on the front, and this film clearly shows that, in those days, command personnel were much more likely to be obeyed without question, even as the enlisted men suffered for their mistakes, errors of judgment or even criminality.For me, the frosting on the cake was using Woodward to sing "Soldiers of the Queen" during the roll of the credits. His clear and fine singing voice seemed to taunt the military brass. It is a crackerjack movie and NOT a tear-jerker, despite the story line.
