A Powerful True Story Of Bitter Revenge...

Starring: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, Jon Waters, Bryan Brown, Charles "Bud" Tingwell, Terence Donovan, Vincent Ball, Ray Meagher, Chris Haywood, Russell Kiefel, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Rod Mullinar, Alan Cassell, Rob Steele

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The fact of the matter is that war changes men's natures. The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men. The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations. Situations in which the ebb and flow of everyday life have departed and have been replaced by a constant round of fear and anger, blood and death." - Harry Morant

Why watch this? This is a superb study on the Boer War, and what combat does to normal men.

Plot Summary: This military trial drama centers occurs at the end of the Second Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. Three Australian officers in the elite Bushveldt Carbineers who are accused of murder by their British commanders for the crime of murdering captured prisoners. The three, Harry "Breaker" Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton, are assigned to Major Thomas, an inexperienced military lawyer with little time to prepare. The clear British goal is to use this event, showing their willingness to sentence their own soldiers to death, will hopefully help to end the conflict.

Dad's Preview:  This film successfully uses flashbacks to flesh out the details. From this complex tale we learn two things - First, war and its brutality does change the men involved. Second, all parties have motives, some noble, some devious, and this makes it hard to determine fault and guilt. In the end, the ones in charge usually win. Speaking of wins, this film won an impressive 10 Australian Academy of Cinema and TV Arts awards.

Sout Australian Film Corp., Australian Film Comm. The Seven Network,
Pact Productions; Roadshow Film Distributors