The Desert Rats poster & wallpaper

James Mason, Richard Burton, Robert Douglas

In his second Hollywood role (between Oscar-nominated turns in My Cousin Rachel and The Robe), Richard Burton stars as a Scottish commando put in charge of a battalion of the 9th Austr...( read more  read more... )alian Division defending Tobruk. The Aussies don't like him, and with a year of grim North African duty already under his belt, he's not too crazy about his new responsibilities either. The outfit is charged with staving off the battering assaults of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for two months, to give the British Army time to regroup in Cairo and prepare for a counterattack. In the end, the "desert rats" play hell with the Desert Fox for 242 days, during which they and their commander develop some mutual respect.

This is a solid, workmanlike World War II picture that, having been made in 1953 rather than 1943, can acknowledge a degree of eccentric humanity and soldierly professionalism in the enemy. Featured guest star James Mason reprises his Rommel from The Desert Fox (1951)--playing all his scenes in German except for a scene of ironical repartee with Burton. Another distinguished Brit, Robert Newton, gets costar billing as a boozy, self-confessed coward who used to be Burton's schoolmaster once upon a time. However, a goodly number of Australians--including Chips Rafferty and Charles "Bud" Tingwell (still going strong nearly 50 years later in Paul Cox's wonderful Innocence)--rate at least as much screen time. Robert Wise directed, with a trimness that reminds us he started out as an editor, and the pungent black-and-white cinematography is by Lucien Ballard. --Richard T. Jameson

Flixster Users

62% liked it

1,302 ratings

Unrated, 88 min.

Directed by: Robert Wise

Release Date: May 20, 1953

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002

Get It:

Stats: 51 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (51)

  • garyX
    November 11, 2008
    garyX
    A semi-sequel to The Desert Fox, The Desert Rats sees James Mason reprise his role as Field Marshal Rommel who meets his match in the form of British field officer Richard Burton during the siege of Tobruk. Mason and Burton are two of the greats of British acting and it's well wo...( read more)rth seeing this film just to see them together, although the scene in which they meet is all too brief. In fact I'd like to have seen a lot more of Rommel who although is not as revered as in the previous film (for this one, he is the enemy after all) but is still shown as a figure to be respected. As a whole it's a rather old fashioned tale of boy's own derring-do rather than a gritty anti-war story, and if taken as such is very enjoyable. The old story of a grudging company of men learning to respect their new commander is hardly an original one but it's an exciting tale of wartime bravery shot in atmospheric black and white.
  • organgrinder136
    November 11, 2008
    organgrinder136
    interesting and not too long war film by the director of "the house on telegraph hill" starring richard burton and james mason. it seemed realistic and burton put in a good performance
  • jaseman125
    November 3, 2007
    jaseman125
    Excellent Richard Burton war movie.
  • malacaynomuerto
    December 31, 2008
    malacaynomuerto
    Segunda guerra mundial un hecho real se muestra la heroicidad de un grupo de soldados australianos.
    una peli bien actuada y dirigida
  • charlestully
    April 19, 2008
    charlestully
    Good effects for its time. It looks like real footage in some parts of the film.
  • mikezillatron
    March 30, 2008
    mikezillatron
    a mighty fine movie.
  • hugonar
    November 2, 2007
    hugonar
    Classified as a classic = Interested.
  • surimalik87
    May 7, 2007
    surimalik87
    desert rats wud, for any war movie lover, be a timeless classic ....with a powerful performance by the lead brit officer(dnt knw his name) action sequences are pretty amazing considering the time around which this movie wuz made. The plot is extremely involving n keeps the audien...( read more)ce at the edge of their seats also there is a tinge of emotions thrown in with the interaction of the brit officer with his former teacher who is now a soldier under him....altogether definitely a must watch types
  • splittailluvr
    October 11, 2006
    splittailluvr
    A good WWII movie done almost 10 years after the war when people could step back a bit and be more objective about WWII and the major players.

View All The Desert Rats Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "The Desert Rats" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Guns of Navarone
    The Guns of Navarone (60%)

More Movies like The Desert Rats

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Desert Rats : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Desert Rats. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Desert Rats to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

blacksnake2 Skin by blacksnake2
8 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins