Murphy's War

Peter O'Toole stars as Murphy, sole survivor of a ship torpedoed by a German U-boat at the close of WW2. He generates a lot of hatred towards the Germans and sets about to extract revenge for his fallen comrades. This is a story of hatred gone ballistic and obsession for revenge. It seems that Murphy has gone mad. Towards the end of the film, a means to get his revenge becomes available and he sets out to kill the U=boat. Will he succeed? A very good film!

Someone commented that this was 'a typical war movie'. It's not in any way though. Murphy's War is complete 100% unrestricted genius. I couldn't imagine going through life without seeing it. The entire foundation of this movie is captured in a deep focus shot of a trashed barge, a p***ed off soldier, and a beached torpedo. If your heart doesn't start beating faster and if you don't have a smile on your face when you see this shot; you need medical attention. Go rent this movie!

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.

Crusty Irish Seaman (ooooh that just sounds wrong!) Peter O'Toole swears vengeance upon the nasty German U-boat that sank his ship. Not only that, but the heartless Huns machine-gunned O'Toole and the rest of the survivors as they bobbed helplessly in the ocean. So, like the deranged captain Ahab in Moby Dick, he devotes his considerable energies to tracking down that submarine and sinking it.

I saw this on TV back in the early eighties. Now, as an adult I see the resemblance to Moby Dick and I enjoy this movie even more. Anyone who likes Peter O'Toole should see Murphy's War. The location shooting is beautiful. The flying sequences are breathtaking. And the downbeat anti-war ending is awesome.

I saw this film first time round and, going by the date is was made, I must have been about seven years old. Our cinema in Lochgelly was rather lax about age restrictions.

Scenes still stick in my mind and its themes are still very much with me — the horror and dehumanizing impact of war and the futility of revenge.

I have since seen the film again and I was glad not to be disappointed. Being older and wiser, one is inevitably more critical, but there is so much to enjoy in this film. The performances, setting and story all work together to draw you into its dark and dangerous world.

Most notably of all, the U-boat commander and his men are portrayed as human beings. Efficient, determined, ruthless, but they too have feelings and hate the whole damn war just as much as Murphy. This was unusual in war films up until then, and its progressive, enlightened approach to the war enhances the story. We understand and even feel for Murphy, but we too must understand that sometimes we need to let go, accept our losses, be glad we survived and realise that our enemies are human too.