A powerful true story of bitter revenge...
During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.
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Character
Grave, earnest, classical in form and bleak.
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- warmbleak
- rawmeticulous
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- dfle3on TMDB · Mar 202510/10
An all time great war movie/court room drama "Breaker Morant" is one of those movies I had placed on a "Really should see this movie one of these days" list. Well, in some ways I'm sorry I waited so long to see this masterpiece and in other ways, the current world situation with "The war on terror" has made this movie even more relevant and topical. The plot of this movie is based on real events that occurred during the Boer War, in South Africa. Three Australian soldiers (well, during the course of this war, Australia had become a nation) are courts martial for the killing of some South African fighters and a South African priest. The colonials are fighting for Britain against the Boers, and concerned that Germany (or what would later become Germany) would enter the war on the side of the Boers, Britain seeks to contain things and perhaps prevent German involvement by trying the three Australian colonials. Here is a movie which made a list of the greatest war movies of all time (http://www.historynet.com/movies/11719756.html). In my opinion this movie should have topped the poll, or ranked even higher than the 91st position it got, out of 100. In fact, I think that this movie is a
Read the whole review on TMDB - CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20237/10
Told by way of a court retrospective, this film depicts the brutalities of the Boer War between the British Colonial authorities and the immigrant Dutch farmers who just wanted to be left to govern themselves. Though largely suppressed by the overwhelming military force, the Boers did have success with guerrilla tactics that resulted in the pretty brutal skirmishes described here. A court martial has been constituted to investigate the activities of three Australian solders and to basically scapegoat them. Only the legal skills of the inexperienced lawyer "Maj. Thomas" (Jack Thompson) can hope to prevent the three from going to the gallows. What soon becomes clear is that the soldiers lead by "Morant" (Edward Woodward) were certainly no saints, and that the ghastliness of this war is writ pretty largely, but what it also identifies is the complicity of their otherwise "civilised" officers. It's got a solid cast, the dialogue is gritty and plausible, the cinematography presents us with the grand scale of the South African countryside and of the often rather subsistence existence of farmers and soldiers alike, and as the momentum builds, Australian director Bruce Beresford manages to
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Cast
- Edward WoodwardHarry 'Breaker' Morant
- Jack ThompsonMajor J.F. Thomas
- John WatersCpt. Alfred Taylor
- Bryan BrownLt. Peter Handcock
- Charles TingwellLt. Col. Denny
- Terence DonovanCpt. Simon Hunt
- Vincent BallCol. Ian (Johnny) Hamilton
- Ray MeagherSar. Maj. Drummond
- Chris HaywoodCpl. Sharp
- Russell KiefelChristiaan Botha
Crew
- Bruce BeresfordDirector
- Bruce BeresfordScreenplay
- Jonathan HardyScreenplay
- David StevensScreenplay
- Donald McAlpineDirector of Photography
- H.H. MorantOriginal Music Composer
- Catherine LameyEditor
- William M. AndersonEditor
- Jeanine ChiavloEditor
- Matt CarrollProducer
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Pairings
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Sergeant Rutledge 196080% alikeBoth grave, earnest.
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Sarah's Key 201079% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Mississippi Burning 198879% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Under the Banner of Heaven 202286% alikeTelevision · Both grave, earnest, classical in form.
The Alienist 201880% alikeTelevision · Both grave, earnest, classical in form.
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