Review of The Caine Mutiny (1954) by Jamie T — 03 Feb 2010
Humphrey Bogart is best known for playing cool, confident tough guys like Sam Spade and Rick Blaine, but one of his strongest performances was as the neurotic Captain Queeg in this World War II drama. The film itself, an adaptation of Herman Wouk's massive novel, holds up pretty well itself.
Fred MacMurray, in his heel mode, is excellent as the undermining Keefer, and Van Johnson effectively combines doubt and sincerity as Maryk. Robert Francis, who makes a solid debut as the real hero, Willie Keith, but he was killed in a plane crash after making only three films.
Tom Tully managed an Oscar nomination for his unremarkable role as a war-weary captain, but the honors really go to Bogart, who's never less than believable as the well-meaning captain who cannot bear the pressures of command and of a doubting crew.
Jose Ferrer, as the lawyer who defends the mutineers, is quite impressive as well (more deserving of an Oscar nod than Tully), and his final drunken speech is shocking and effecitve. Short appearances by E.
G. Marshall and Lee Marvin are the icing on the cake. Edward Dmytryk's direction is just right. The only let-down is Max Steiner's flagwaving score, which seems too simplistic for this complex story.
As Hollywood classics go, this one deserves to be more widely seen.
This review of The Caine Mutiny (1954) was written by Jamie T on 03 Feb 2010.
The Caine Mutiny has generally received positive reviews.
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