This is a very good restaging of the more famous movie The Caine Mutiny. As it is set almost entirely at the court martial room, things tend to get a little overly dramatic at times.
Here is the fatal flaw. Never mind that it is rather annoying to have overlapping dialogue playing through the less important verbal exchanges (it is!), but the last testimony with Queeg in the chair, suffers from the all too familiar, but nevertheless quite obvious flaw of having a character, who practically blows the whole mystery of how a story is going to end. I am talking about the Michael Murphy character who gets reaction shots to practically everyones testimony. Why does he have to look so disturbed? There is no way in hell that you can't guess what is going to happen, even if you didn't see the 1954 film or read the novel. He looks way too concerned, even schocked at hearing the last testimony of Queeg. How can the court not acquit Maryk after you seen those concerned looks?
One little side note, once again. I'll bet if this had been a real court martial, Maryk would have been found guilty, maybe not of mutiny, but of conduct unbecoming or something like that.
Here is the fatal flaw. Never mind that it is rather annoying to have overlapping dialogue playing through the less important verbal exchanges (it is!), but the last testimony with Queeg in the chair, suffers from the all too familiar, but nevertheless quite obvious flaw of having a character, who practically blows the whole mystery of how a story is going to end. I am talking about the Michael Murphy character who gets reaction shots to practically everyones testimony. Why does he have to look so disturbed? There is no way in hell that you can't guess what is going to happen, even if you didn't see the 1954 film or read the novel. He looks way too concerned, even schocked at hearing the last testimony of Queeg. How can the court not acquit Maryk after you seen those concerned looks?
One little side note, once again. I'll bet if this had been a real court martial, Maryk would have been found guilty, maybe not of mutiny, but of conduct unbecoming or something like that.