Breaker Morant (1980)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.I believe this is based on a true story, which makes it all the better. What we have is a classic tale of responsibility and leadership. Do soldiers have a responsibility to protect their leaders, even when the leaders are in the wrong and it could mean their death? This happens from time to time, and a recent example (as of 2015) are the incidents at Abu Ghraib. Should one be punished or following orders? And should those giving orders be held at fault? If yes, how far up the chain? Some of this, in different ways, goes back to the Nuremberg trials, and much earlier. The military and war do not work on the same principles as civilian life and the actions we take in our communities.

This movie concerns the atrocities and subsequent courts-martial of three Australian officers serving during the Boer War. Although the movie itself is quite dramatic I think it deserves mention that the defendants were all guilty of the crimes in which they were charged. The question then remains as to whether they were simply following orders or not. Yet even if they were under orders to "take no prisoners" it should also be stated that the acceptance of prisoners under a flag of truce (or any other circumstance) nullifies the order and therefore undermines any defense for executing them once they've been captured. Likewise the cold-blooded murder of a witness to the crime cannot be justified or overstated either. That being the case any implication that the three defendants were tried solely because of political considerations is rather specious. Be that as it may, as far as the movie is concerned it is still quite gripping and provocative from start to finish with good direction (Bruce Beresford) and crisp acting from all concerned. Having said that I believe it should be restated that the film itself is not an historical documentary and shouldn't be mistaken for one. Above average.

If a producer had received the stereotypical Hollywood pitch for "Breaker Morant," I imagine it would have gone something like this: "It takes place during a war—no, not one of the popular ones, it's the Boer War—and the protagonists are three probable war criminals, quite unrepentant... Likable? Well, one of them likes to recite his own poetry... Yes, it has some beautiful outdoors shots, so we'll need to send the whole cast and crew to South Africa, but most of the action will take place in an ugly little army prison where the characters debate the finer points of British military law and Edwardian-era geopolitics."Luckily, if any producer at the South Australian Film Corporation received such a pitch, they agreed to make the film. Patriotism may have had something to do with it. Beneath the shouted legalese of a movie court martial and the scenes from a cold-blooded guerilla war, "Breaker Morant" is about the place of Australia in the British Commonwealth as understood by three men from different strata of turn-of-the-century Australian society. Their loyal service in time of war lands them in deadly peril when London decides that they are more useful as scapegoats than as soldiers. In the most moving, character-driven scenes, each man remembers and longs for Australia, where they have families and where the title character once enjoyed "breaking" horses. Meanwhile, the script takes numerous not-so- subtle digs at the part-German royal family and at Lord Kitchener, Britain's most famous soldier.For a certain kind of patriotic Australian, this based-on-a-true story must be a rousing defense of Australian independence and Australian bravery. It's a fascinating watch even for those without a dog in that hunt, but it is fair to ask whether the movie is too uncritical of its three heroes. Are they, after all, war criminals responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners and noncombatants? Or does the movie prove its thesis that the real guilt lay farther up the chain of command, and that the King's Australian soldiers were caught up in an unprecedented and complex kind of war from which nobody could come out both alive and clean? The heroic tone at the end is hard to swallow if you haven't been persuaded of the latter interpretation. But the beautiful shots of the veldt, and the thoughtful examination of a historical moment seldom depicted on screen, make it a satisfying film nonetheless.

"Breaker Morant" is set during the Boer War--a particularly ugly war fought in South Africa around the turn of the 20th century. Both the Boers (Dutch South African farmers) and the British committed a lot of nasty atrocities and many of the standards conduct during warfare were violated in the course of this war. Concentration camps, a scorched earth policy and the like were used to subdue the Boers.In this film, three Commonwealth soldiers from Australia are up on charges for war crimes--they are charged with executing prisoners and the like. While the defendants do not deny doing this, the problem is that this was common practice and those in command heartily approved--at least until word of the atrocities leaked. Now, to maintain the facade of civility, the three soldiers are being prosecuted--scapegoats despite doing exactly what they were expected to do. This is based, on part, on a real case--though how closely they stick to the original is uncertain.While most of the film takes place during the court martials, through flashbacks you see many of the events that led up to the trials. Some of the behavior of the men seemed incredibly savage (such as shooting prisoners who had surrendered on their own) and much of their actions seemed to make sense in light of the guerrilla warfare being committed against them. Regardless, what is clear is that the court really seems to want nothing more than to make examples of these men.Not surprisingly, "Breaker Morant" struck a chord with many who fought in Vietnam and recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the Boer War, soldiers had no idea who was and was not the enemy and vague or politically motivated rules of engagement made fighting very difficult. The parallels are many--making this story rather timeless. This, the excellent writing and acting make for a very good film--one well worth seeing--even if it is a bit stagy (belying its roots as a play).