Murphy's War (1971)

That was an excellent one.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A lot of fun.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

"Murphy's War" is one of Peter O' Toole's better films. The script isn't always up to standard but his performance easily compensates for this and he is only one of a handful of cast members who is British. The leading lady, Sian Phillips (Mrs. O' Toole) is very effective as the medic of the island which provides the films setting. As the title implies, it becomes a case of Murphy carrying his private revenge upon the German sailors who slaughter his comrades as they are defenceless against a German U boat. Murphy is the sole survivor. A true act of cowardice, it is understandable why Peter O' Toole would harbour feelings of hate and anger. However, he is prepared to go to any lengths in order to avenge his fellow sailors. His plan of revenge borders on obsession until it takes over his every day life. He repairs an old plane that has been abandoned on the island but Murphy realises it will take a heck of a lot more in completing his task of defeating the enemy. The photography certainly adds to the proceedings, as does Peter Yates's direction. He manages to keep "Murphy's War" on an even keel.

In the last days of the second world war a German U-Boat sinks a British merchant ship on the Orinoco river . As the survivors flounder in the river they are massacred by the Germans . One survivor is left , an Irishman called Murphy who becomes obsessed with revenge All the ingredients of a very good war film are here . Big name star , sadistic Nazis , exotic locations and yet for some reason MURPHY'S WAR fails to take off completely . The Nazis are portrayed as fascist brutes and the film does revolve around Murphy's obsession with revenge . This might work very well in another medium but on film it doesn't translate very well because emotions are internalised and difficult to portray on screen . and this makes for a rather uninvolving film .MURPHY'S WAR does contain long sequences where no one speaks and while some people may admire the qualities of sound editing I didn't . The whole unlikely subplot of Murphy learns to fly a plane become redundant anyway and seems to be included simply to show off the sound editing as if to ask " Please can you give us an Oscar " . The film ends on a bitterly ironic plot turn and like PLAY DIRTY from around the same time leads the film to stick out in the mind but before we get to the cynical ending we have to endure something of a hard slog .

Murphy's War is one of my top 50 most loved films, and I've watched A LOT of films, in all genres. When a film with a straightforward narrative, and a relatively simple plot with very few characters can rivet you to your seat right until the end, you have a hell of a story on your hands! The wide 2.35:1 format and outstanding cinematography by Oscar winner Douglas Slocombe are ideally matched to the location and type of action. And the reviewer who thinks the role of Murphy isn't suited for Peter O'Toole should have his head examined! O'Toole IS Murphy as much as he IS Lawrence of Arabia. Murphy's progression deeper and deeper into a vengeance-clouded mania is masterfully accomplished; he's in good company here, along with Gregory Peck's Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, Spencer Tracy's Old Man in The Old Man and the Sea, and Robert Shaw's Captain Quint in Jaws, O'Toole's tenacious Irishman Murphy is an inspiration easily absorbed and applied to all situations in which one may be considered the underdog by a wide margin. In other words, Murphy isn't an ironic post modern anti-hero. He's the old fashioned everyman, overcoming incredible odds to achieve his ends kind of hero. One could critique the film from sociological or psychological perspectives, and question whether the screenwriter intended for Murphy to symbolize the evil war can bring out in man, or the greatness, or both. But without reading anything into it, Murphy's War is on a primary level simply a terrific action yarn, well worth owning on DVD.

In scanning through these reviews, I'm very pleased to see that this movie is well liked by many people.I saw it first around the time it came out and even though I was only eleven or twelve, many things about this movie left an impression on me: the sunny, tropical locations, the excellent cast and the impeccable performances.The very last scene where Murphy is literally consumed by his own revenge is at least as memorable and disturbing as the last scene in The Planet of the Apes (60's version) and drives home the whole point of the movie as perfectly as I've ever seen it done.See it! You won't be disappointed.