Parker Lewis Breaker Morant is not only a top legal movie, it's also a movie that gives you the opportunity to think about the law of war, heroes, scapegoats, and the ability to deliver justice in a legal system. "You can't handle the truth!!!" could well be the catch-cry of Breaker Morant.Edward Woodward, who was excellent in Callan (the swinging light bulb still haunts me to this day!!) and The Equalizer, is most impressive as one of the Australian officers on trial.

gavin6942 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.

MartinHafer "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).

lastliberal An Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, and winner of almost every award given by the Australian Film Institute. The only reason it didn't win every award was that two actors from the film were competing for Best Actor, and three were competing for Best Supporting Actor.The film involves a courts martial initiated for political reasons against Australian soldiers fighting in the Boer War.Edward Woodward was Lt. Harry 'Breaker' Morant, who ordered the execution of Boer prisoners under verbal orders of the British Government. He, and two others were on trial after the German Government complained that one of those executed was a German missionary.Jack Thompson was Maj. J.F. Thomas, who was defending them. Both Woodward and Thompson gave splendid performances.Thompson's summation was outstanding, but it was to no avail as the graves were dug before the trail began.Bryan Brown was excellent as Lt. Peter Handcock, one of the three on trial, as was Lewis Fitz-Gerald and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell.