Breaker Morant (Masterworks Edition) (1980)

The Motion Picture Guide 8 of 10
Woodward is superb in the title role... Breaker Morant forces the viewer to take a stand... A
 
FilmsGraded.com 8 of 10
'Breaker' Morant dominated the 1980 Australian Film Institute Awards. It swept nearly every category: Best Film, Best Director (Bruce Beresford), Best Actor (Jack Thompson), Best Supporting Actor (Bryan Brown), Best Screenplay (Beresford, Jonathan Hardy and David Stevens), Best Cinematography (Donald McAlpine), Best Costumes, Best Editing, and Best Sound. Edward Woodward was also nominated for Best Actor, while Lewis Fitz-Gerald and Charles Tingwell were also nominated for Best Supporting Actor...'Breaker' Morant is a true story, and its plausible telling seems only slightly biased against the English. Morant and Handcock are not portrayed as saints. They are good soldiers, but are aware that during a guerilla war, new rules of combat are needed...In the end, 'Breaker' Morant is anti-war. War is a butcher of men, begun and finished for political purposes. Those who control the war regard soldiers as expendable pawns on a chessboard. The soldiers themselves know they are pawns, but grimly do their duty. Mostly because they have no choice, but partly because they have too much pride to do otherwise...Director Bruce Beresford has made other good films as well, "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Tender Mercies" among them. More recently, "Double Jeopardy" was a blockbuster. - Brian Koller
 
Nehring The Edge 9 of 10
This film is based on a stage play written by Kenneth Ross. Unlike other adaptations from the stage like Streamers, Fool For Love or Equus this film retains its theatrical roots without tripping on the static nature of a play...This is really an actor's movie. The performances are top of the line in this production. Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson and Bryan Brown offer very detailed and intelligent performances. If you have a chance to watch this film, keep an eye on the actors in the courtroom. Watch them when they are not talking. Watch Woodward and Brown sitting at the table in the background. I love the reactions they give to the other actors and their non-verbals. Many actors will blend into the background when they are not the focus of a scene. Here, you can see Woodward and Brown's training because they strongly keep in character even in minor shots. Although not a minor shot, a good example of this would be when the three defendants arrive at the court for the first time, salute their superiors and cross to their table. Each actor performs the same task with such detail you know everything you need to know about the character from this simple string of movements. There are no small roles and there are no small shots...If you haven't seen this film it is something you should try to pencil into your must see list. - Scott Nehring