'Breaker' Morant (1980)

100% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(4,572 ratings)

Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed Australian films, telling a powerful tale of wartime betrayal and injustice. Henry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When war breaks out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers… More Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed Australian films, telling a powerful tale of wartime betrayal and injustice. Henry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When war breaks out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers (descendants of Dutch colonists), Morant and a number of Australians volunteer for duty and are absorbed into the non-regular units of the British army. Acting under orders from his commanders, Morant oversees the execution of several Boer prisoners; it turns out that one of them was German, and in order to keep the peace with Germany, Britain agrees to courtmartial Morant and two other soldiers, sentencing two to death and one to life imprisonment. Based on a play by Kenneth Ross, Bruce Beresford's film is powerfully filmed and acted and has become a classic anti-war movie since its 1980 release; the script (co-written by Beresford) was nominated for an Academy Award. The final execution scene is nearly overpowering in its sense of tragedy and futility. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Bruce Beresford
Written By: David Stevens
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: May 1, 1980 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 1999
Studio: Live Home Video

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Bold, uncompromising and completely compelling filmmaking.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's deservedly one of the most acclaimed Australian films.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Memorable Aussie epic with Edward Woodward particularly good.
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
Excellent anti-war flick from Austrailian "new wave"
Clint Morris, Moviehole
The film all Australian films since have tried to live up to - and couldn't
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
contains one of cinema's most undernoticed and passionate speeches
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy
Woodward delivers a fine performance as the soft-spoken commander, Brown is effectively hot-tempered and Fitz-Gerald is terrifically naïve.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Breaker Morant is a top-notch film about an injustice in the annals of military history.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

At the beginning of the 20th century 3 Aussie soldiers are court-martialed for killing 6 Boers in South Africa, only the game is rigged. An ugly tale of military necessities versus political necessities made real by rich performances.
familiar s

Checking out the movies inspired from real events, I came across this one. Especially interested in crime genre movies based on true events, I just couldn't overlook this. An IMDb rating of 8/10 (at the time when this is been written) only added to my eagerness to check it out.… More
Checking out the movies inspired from real events, I came across this one. Especially interested in crime genre movies based on true events, I just couldn't overlook this. An IMDb rating of 8/10 (at the time when this is been written) only added to my eagerness to check it out. It was like any other courtroom drama (here it's court-martial). Nevertheless, it was worth a watch. It depicts how some brave lieutenants are used as scapegoats in order to seek peace!!! The case was presented marvelously & it was intriguing to see how the relatively inexperienced lawyer of the accused defends them. However, one can easily deduct that the outcome of the case was already decided upon before even the case has started. The movie was handled excellently; it was interesting thoroughly for what could otherwise have been a boring predictable docudrama. All the actors play their part quite impressively. If you're a fan of movies based on true events, you might like to check this out. It's not too great, but is worth a shot.
Robert F

Memorable Aussie film with some good performances and great dialogue.