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KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Parker Lewis Breaker Morant is not only a top legal movie, it's also a movie that gives you the opportunity to think about the law of war, heroes, scapegoats, and the ability to deliver justice in a legal system. "You can't handle the truth!!!" could well be the catch-cry of Breaker Morant.Edward Woodward, who was excellent in Callan (the swinging light bulb still haunts me to this day!!) and The Equalizer, is most impressive as one of the Australian officers on trial.

kijii This Australian movie, based on Kenneth G. Ross' play, gives a dramatic account of a true situation that occurred during the Boer War. I liked it for several reasons: 1) It is a good courtroom drama. 2) It gave me (an American) more insight into what the Boer War was about and how it was fought. 3) It gives insight into ill-defined wars and the consequences for the troops that are asked to fight them with sloppy rules of engagement. 4) It is one of the most powerful anti-war movies I have seen. 5) Like other movies about the British colonial period, it shows The Empire in the process of its fall. The reasons for the Boer War (1899-1902) were complex. But, it started near the end of Victoria's reign and ended during the reign of her son, Edward VII. The Boers (mainly Dutch) were fighting for their independence and the British were fighting to maintain control over the British Empire. The Boers did not fight 'fairly' and the British were, in the end, forced to use Australian irregulars, the Bushvelt Carbineers, to implement some of the Boer's civilian-clad commando tactics. For example, these commandos would often abuse the white flag of surrender to suck in the unsuspecting British, only to be killed at close range. As the movie begins in 1901, three Australian, officers from the Bushvelt Carbineers, Lt. Harry 'Breaker' Morant (Edward Woodward), Maj. J.F. Thomas (Jack Thompson) and Capt. Alfred Taylor (John Waters), are brought before a British court martial for executing prisoners and killing a German minister. Under the direction of Lord Horatio Kitchener (Alan Cassell), these three soldiers were set up as scapegoats for tactics that had been used by other soldiers, on both sides. Also, in executing their duties, all three seemed to have received direct orders from 'higher ups.' To add insult to injury, their defense council had NEVER tried a case in court and was brought into the case only one day before the case began. Yet in spite of all of this, he mounts an unexpectedly brilliant defense for his clients. In fact, at one point he calls Kitcherner, himself, into the courtroom to testify. However, Kitcherner sends one of his subordinates to the court marshal to lie under oath. Also, the judge assigned to the case continually makes clearly incorrect pronouncements in response to objection calls. The viewer is left with an overwhelming feeling of frustration. The purpose of this "kangaroo court martial" was to prevent the Germans from entering the war on the side of the Boers—no one wanted the late Queen's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to side with the Boers. The court martial also made an example of the three Australians to hasten a peace treaty and end the war between the Boers and the British--a mere side show of the war. I like the structure of this movie, it is related during the trial with flashbacks with show what actually happened and why. The acting is also superb. So far, this is the one of best British colonial movies I have ever seen!

David Conrad If a producer had received the stereotypical Hollywood pitch for "Breaker Morant," I imagine it would have gone something like this: "It takes place during a war—no, not one of the popular ones, it's the Boer War—and the protagonists are three probable war criminals, quite unrepentant... Likable? Well, one of them likes to recite his own poetry... Yes, it has some beautiful outdoors shots, so we'll need to send the whole cast and crew to South Africa, but most of the action will take place in an ugly little army prison where the characters debate the finer points of British military law and Edwardian-era geopolitics."Luckily, if any producer at the South Australian Film Corporation received such a pitch, they agreed to make the film. Patriotism may have had something to do with it. Beneath the shouted legalese of a movie court martial and the scenes from a cold-blooded guerilla war, "Breaker Morant" is about the place of Australia in the British Commonwealth as understood by three men from different strata of turn-of-the-century Australian society. Their loyal service in time of war lands them in deadly peril when London decides that they are more useful as scapegoats than as soldiers. In the most moving, character-driven scenes, each man remembers and longs for Australia, where they have families and where the title character once enjoyed "breaking" horses. Meanwhile, the script takes numerous not-so- subtle digs at the part-German royal family and at Lord Kitchener, Britain's most famous soldier.For a certain kind of patriotic Australian, this based-on-a-true story must be a rousing defense of Australian independence and Australian bravery. It's a fascinating watch even for those without a dog in that hunt, but it is fair to ask whether the movie is too uncritical of its three heroes. Are they, after all, war criminals responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners and noncombatants? Or does the movie prove its thesis that the real guilt lay farther up the chain of command, and that the King's Australian soldiers were caught up in an unprecedented and complex kind of war from which nobody could come out both alive and clean? The heroic tone at the end is hard to swallow if you haven't been persuaded of the latter interpretation. But the beautiful shots of the veldt, and the thoughtful examination of a historical moment seldom depicted on screen, make it a satisfying film nonetheless.

werefox08 Breaker Morant is probably the best movie ever made in Australia.Director Bruce Beresford does everything right (working with a small budget). All of the acting is well above average, but Edward Woodward and Jack Thompson deserve a special mention. This is yet another film about the meaninglessness and futility of war....where nothing is fair and there are no rules. What makes this so good is the way we get to know the characters..we care about them. They are only pawns in a detestable game ..Woodward as Lt. Harry "Breaker" Morant, Lewis Fitzgerald as Lt. George Witton and Bryan Brown as Lt. Peter Handcock. Its 1902 and the Boer War is grinding on. The Germans are upset about the killing of a German missionary and are threatening to enter the war (on the side of the Boers) The British top brass (under Lord Kitchener) are keen for a speedy end to the war. The sacrificing of 3 Australian soldiers seems like a small price to pay to achieve both objectives. However there is a problem....the 3 soldiers are not guilty of the "crimes" they are alleged to have committed. The kangaroo court scenes are unsettling...but brilliantly handled by Beresford. The closing speech by Thompson is truly memorable. Wars will continue to go on.....we need to be reminded of the madness, the brutality, the injustices and the pure evil of conflict. Breaker Morant is a movie that shows some of the hell--- that is war.