Kirpianuscus Off course, Bogart has the first virtue for that. but not the only. because, more than an example of admirable performances, it is the film of nuances and atmosphere. result of fragile equilibrium between states , reactions, decisions , vulnerabilities and forms of solitude. and that does "The Caine Mutiny" different. maybe, special. as one of the most impressive and useful films about people and about the forms of self definition , in difficult circumstances, for define the solidarity and the pressure of appearences.

dweilermg-1 * Yet the real moral of the story is that an articulate disgruntled crew member (officer or enlisted) who is not happy with the commander can be detrimental to morale by convincing others to agree with him. Keefer uses Captain Queeg's ball-bearings as a sign of insanity when they were really just a harmless nervous habit no worse than Keefer's smoking cigarettes. The captain offered the young officers a chance to discuss their feelings of his command and offer suggestions but perhaps brainwashed by Keefer's psychobabble refused to do so. Unlike the previous easy-going skipper Queeg was a by the book man but that should have been accepted and respected. Has those officers supported and respected Queeg instead of heeding Keefer things would have worked out.

calvinnme In the 1950's films about the problems that you encounter during wartime that have nothing to do with the enemy itself began to appear. This was one of the best. WWII threw all kinds of people together from all walks of life. There were the core career Navy along with the many who were drafted into the service because of the war, maybe disrupting plans, but they planned to make the best of it.This is the situation on the USS Caine. A new captain arrives, Lt. Commander Philip Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), professional navy man. At first, it just looks like the captain is a strong advocate of discipline, something the Caine has apparently not had much of up to this time. But then he starts seeing things that aren't there - like insisting that a man in the distance isn't properly dressed for a drill - the officers look and see that he is. He does things that indicate he could be paranoid, and that being under the strain of wartime he could have lost his nerve OR he could just be a captain that likes strict discipline. The truth would be in the eye of the beholder. You don't want to be an officer on the Caine arguing point A if the person you are making your argument to is an admiral that sees point B and believes you are just a whiner, or worse, a mutineer.In the midst of this are the ship's three officers. The instigator that brings about the eventual mutiny is Tom Keefer (Fred McMurray), who was a writer in peacetime. He tries to convince Lt. Steve Maryk (Van Johnson) as well as the young Ensign Willie Keith (Robert Francis), that the captain is mentally ill, headed for a breakdown, and possibly taking the ship with him. Keith is easily swayed by his older fellow officers, just a high society college guy who has always done what mama told him to do. Maryk is the most independent minded of the three, most interested in doing what is right. So when Queeg seems to lose his nerve in a typhoon and refuses to give an order that will save the ship, Maryk takes in all he has been fed by Keefer, considers the situation, and takes control of the Caine based on navy regulations that are germane if the captain is incapacitated. Only thing is, the captain hasn't been shot or taken physically ill, and Maryk and Keith are put on trial for mutiny before a court martial. Keefer has managed to play both sides of this and stay safely out of harm's way, having never voiced his opinions of the captain in front of anybody but Maryk and Keith.Second billed Jose Ferrer, who doesn't appear until the last part of the movie, earns his second billing as the navy attorney who is disgusted by his clients, yet agrees to take the case. It's a tricky business proving innocence in this case, because he is not allowed to directly attack the integrity of Queeg, because that is an infraction of naval law in itself. And on terra firma, Captain Queeg no longer feels the pressure he did at sea and is particularly charming and articulate. What's worse, Keefer is looking after his own neck and throws Maryk and Keith under the bus to save himself when on the stand. How will this all turn out? Watch and find out.Just an aside, a few people have said that the bit about Keith and his girl are just padding. I beg to differ. It shows that in spite of being head over heels in love, Keith does not have the nerve to stand up to his mother and tell her. If Keith can't stand up to mom, what chance would he have with Keefer? He was a follower in the first degree.Bogart was great here as a guy who is supposed to be the villain in a way, but has a completely sympathetic part. As Ferrer's character points out, when everyone else was all tucked away safe in their beds, it was people like Queeg that kept the navy going in peacetime, before the war. The scene before the mutiny where Queeg basically goes to the ship's other officers for help after he realizes he is so strongly disliked and comes up empty adds further sympathy and thus ambiguity to his part.This is great storytelling about a group of people who have nothing in common brought together to fight a war which in this case yields tragic results. In other words, it is very realistic. I highly recommend this old film.

Russell Campbell I was expecting more when I watched this movie for the first time today. In other reviews, I've seen some criticisms of the special effects, which I found ridiculous. I mean, come on, it's an old movie, what do you expect? You have to just go with that and deal with it. The plot is much more important.What was odd to me was this love interest thing that seemed to have no place in the movie and the overbearing mom issue that was never really addressed. It's a movie about a mutiny and suddenly people are off in Yosemite romancing each other? It just didn't seem to work.And then the court martial. The win was a little too easy. And the speech at the end by the defense lawyer. Hey, that captain was off his rocker, but because he'd supposedly done some other things well earlier in his career, the men on that ship were supposed to let him get them killed? And the idea that after he'd exhibited unbalanced behavior that his plea for "help" was supposed to be trusted by the officers and if they had listened he wouldn't have freaked out in the typhoon? Maybe, but not real plausible. I think most people would be quite wary by that time and would have trouble trusting him when he asked for help.Anyway, Bogart did a fine job and there were good turns by the others, but the movie just kind of fell flat, IMHO.