The film of the week this time is BREAKER MORANT.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080310/

Breaker Morant is one of the best war films ever. That is quite a bold claim, but I stand by it. The story is of 3 soldiers fighting in the Boer War in South Africa who are accused of murdering their prisoners. A lot of the film takes place in a courtroom with various characters arguing the case. It sounds a tad dull but trust me it is amazingly well done. All the actors are brilliant especially the great Edward Woodward as Harry Morant. What makes the film so great is how it never judges the soldiers on trial. All it does is show what they did and lets you make up your mind. They commited brutal actions but they were also ordered to, which makes their conviction tragic despite their actions.

One of the most interesting parts of the film is the political aspect. These men were used by the British government to avoid war with Germany who were siding with the Boers. If these men werent arrested for their actions then Germany would have joined the war and fought against Britain. Think about the worldwide consequences that would have. I highly recommend this film if you want to see a great anti war film. Heck it's just an amazing film in general. Very few war films approach it's emotional power.