Review of Murphy's War (1971) by Greg W — 29 Nov 2011
Pretty decent war film and one of director Peter Yates neglected films.
Peter O Toole is on fine form as Murphy ,the sole survivor of a merchant ship sunk by a ruthless U boat captain.
Murphy decides to get his revenge whatever the cost and ropes in local engineer Breznan ,played wonderfully by Phillipe Noiret.
Local Nurse Miss Hayden is of course dead set against all this macho posturing and just wants Murphy to see out the impending end of World War 2 ,which is constantly refered to is radio broadcasts .
O Toole gives Murphy a dangerous and self destructive edge that no actor of his generation could match and the tension between him and Hayden feesl real because he was married to actress Sian Phillips at the time.
Yates keeps everything ticking along nicely and the final showdown is expertly staged ,an excellent war film with plenty to say on the nature of revenge.
This review of Murphy's War (1971) was written by Greg W on 29 Nov 2011.
Murphy's War has generally received positive reviews.
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