Morituri (1965)

66% of users liked it
(814 ratings)

Bernhard Wicki directed this hard-hitting World War II espionage drama. Marlon Brando plays Robert Crain, a German deserter who is coerced by British Intelligence officer Colonel Statter (Trevor Howard) to impersonate a Gestapo officer in order to get aboard a German blockade runner that is… More Bernhard Wicki directed this hard-hitting World War II espionage drama. Marlon Brando plays Robert Crain, a German deserter who is coerced by British Intelligence officer Colonel Statter (Trevor Howard) to impersonate a Gestapo officer in order to get aboard a German blockade runner that is conveying a valuable rubber cargo from the Orient. Crain's assignment is to save the rubber by finding a way to deactivate the explosives that the ship's captain would use to destroy the ship if captured by the enemy. Crain finds his way aboard the ship, but the ship's commander Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner), skeptical of the Nazis, refuses to let Crain out of his sight. When survivors of a sunken vessel board the ship, and Crain realizes that his identity may be exposed by two rescued German submarine officers, he incites Mueller's officers and the new arrivals to mutiny before his true identity is revealed. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Bernhard Wicki
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1965 Wide
On DVD: May 25, 2004

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A tense sea adventure.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Contando com o sempre fascinante Brando, o filme traz Brynner vivendo um personagem ambíguo e se beneficia de um roteiro complexo no qual os personagens estão sempre trocando de aliados. Pena que a conclusão seja tão improvável.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

In "Morituri," Captain Mueller(Yul Brynner) is incensed at having been demoted to being skipper of a boat taking 7000 tons of rubber to German occupied France, not to mention the political prisoners that will also be working in the engine room. To keep him placated, his… More
In "Morituri," Captain Mueller(Yul Brynner) is incensed at having been demoted to being skipper of a boat taking 7000 tons of rubber to German occupied France, not to mention the political prisoners that will also be working in the engine room. To keep him placated, his superiors threaten him with wrecking his son's career if he does not cooperate. He would be even less happier if he knew that his new political officer is actually Robert Crain(Marlon Brando), a German engineer who deserted on the eve of war to India where he is being gleefully blackmailed by Colonel Statter(Trevor Howard). He not only wants the rubber to not reach its intended destination, but also wants the Allies to have it, ordering Crain to scuttle the scuttling devices, of which he has no idea where on board they might be. There is a great movie in "Morituri" just waiting to get out but it just does not entirely pull it off and put all of the pieces together. However, it is fun watching Brando and Brynner play a high stakes game of cat and mouse between two characters who are in the same boat, so to speak. So, on the one hand, there is a lot of old fashioned intrigue, but in the last half hour, reality creeps steadily in, almost from another movie entirely. I know this is meant to give the pacifist Crain a sense of purpose, but he seems to be doing pretty well up until then. The movie made in 1965, might have included this more as information intended towards the audience which might have been more ignorant of the Holocaust than we are now.
Mike T

An underrated gem in Brando's career that presents an astute approach to character dynamics and suspense. Directed and photographed with expertise, this is a top-notch espionage thriller that engages from its first scene until the grim conclusion. Marlon Brando's understated… More
An underrated gem in Brando's career that presents an astute approach to character dynamics and suspense. Directed and photographed with expertise, this is a top-notch espionage thriller that engages from its first scene until the grim conclusion. Marlon Brando's understated performance is also immensely underappreciated, and Yul Brynner does a great job too.

Cast

            Marlon Brando as Robert Crain

            Yul Brynner as Capt. Muller

            Janet Margolin as Esther

            Trevor Howard as Col. Statler

            Marlin Beneath as Kruse

            Hans Christian Blech as Donkeyman

            Wally Cox as Dr. Ambach

            Max Haufler as Branner

            Rainer Penkert as Milkereit

            William Redfield as Baldwin

            Oscar Beregi Sr. as Admiral

            Martin Brandt as Nissen

            Charles de Vries as Kurz

            Carl Esmond as Busch

            Martin Kosleck as Wilke

            Norbert Schiller as Steward

            Rick Traeger as Crew Member

            Ivan Triesault as Lt. Brandt

            Gregg Barton
            
            Hal Bokar
            
            Eric Braeden as Radio Operator

            Gary Crosby as Ens. Sloan

            Gene Dynarski
            
            Jimmy Goodwin
            
            Roy Jenson
            
            Buck Kartalian
            
            Robert Kino as Capt. Hatsuma

            Manfred Lating as Lutz

            John Logan
            
            David Manley
            
            Keith McConnell as Englishman

            Rollin Moriyama as Japanese Tug Pilot

            Henry Rowland
            
            Gilchrist Stuart
            
            George Takei as Junior Officer

            Wilhelm von Homburg
            
            Rick Weber as Crew Member

            Rusty Wescoatt as Members of U.S. Merchant Marine

            William White as Williams

            Bob Wilke as Cmdr. Kelling

            Paul Baxley
            
            Harold Dyrenforth as Cornelson

            Frank London
            
            Yvon Arai as Japanese Officer

            Harold Goodwin
            
See full cast