'Breaker' Morant (1980)

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1. 

   Zeltaebar

   This historical account of injustice in the army is extraordinarily well played and some of the courtroom scenes are quite memorable. However, My sympathies for the defendents were muted by the fact that they were yet another bunch of prisoners awaiting execution just like the prisoners they themselves executed. The movie seems to suggest that the defendents should be spared because they (kind of) followed orderes, but I could not stop thinking that those Boers executed should have been spared because they were waving a good damn white flag. I guess it all comes down to the absurdities of warfare. 10 years 8 months ago
2. 

   Alias

   That is one badass cover picture. 12 years 5 months ago
3. 

   Siskoid

   From factual story to stage play to film, Breaker Morant is a tale of the neglected Boer War and an early example of modern guerrilla warfare, repurposed into an investigation of what is justified in war when the enemy doesn't follow any kind of rules. Morally, is there any high ground at all, or is that an untenable position (and therefore hypocritical to claim one)? It forces an ambivalence on the audience - which I don't mean in a pejorative sense - making us question Morant and his men, but also putting on their side, since they are clearly in a kangaroo court looking to score political points. And the fact, these are Australian soldiers in a British unit makes its Empire vs. Colonies, and we do want to root for the underdog. But it's not just a moral fable, it's also a cracker of a courtroom drama, with Jack Thompson's country lawyer rising to the occasion and giving the prosecution something to sweat about. Edward Woodward brings a lot of gravitas to the role of Morant himself, and he's well supported by Bryan Brown (FX, but also every Australian movie ever, seems to me) as the "typically Aussie" loose cannon. The film asks a lot of questions, of the situation and of yourself, but no easy answers. 2 months 3 weeks ago

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