History Film / BreakerMorant

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: All three defendants are shown to be skilled fighters, even being let out of their cells to help fight off a Boer attack on the fort, and playing a key role.

* TheGreatestHistoryNeverTold: Averted, the film deals with the second Anglo-Boer war, not one of the best known wars.

* LargeHam: What else do you expect in a movie starring EDWARD WOODWARD? Special mention goes to the "Rule 303" scene, as well as Thomas's rant about the concentration camps.

* WarriorPoet: Morant is a published poet, and one of his last acts is to write a final poem that he hands to Major Thomas, and asks him to see that it is published..

* [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem Screw the Rules, My Gun Makes Them!]]: [[spoiler: Morant's "Rule 303" refers to the .303-caliber Lee-Enfield rifle the Cabineers used to execute their captors:]]
** [[spoiler: "We didn't carry military manuals around with us; we were out on the veldt, fighting the Boer, the way he fought ''us''! I'll tell you what rule we applied, sir: we applied 'Rule 303'. We caught them, and we shot them under Rule '''''[[PunctuatedforEmphasis Three! Oh! Three!"]]''''']]

A 1980 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on true events from the second Anglo-Boer War in UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While Kitchener and his staff are obviously corrupt in their denying Morant and his men a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they themselves issued (though with the [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans somewhat nobler intention of trying to cool the conflict]] whilst also [[NeverMyFault saving their own skin]]), Morant himself seems ''far'' [[BloodKnight too eager to order the deaths of the POWs and a German noncombatant that he merely suspected of spying for the Boers]], making his ultimate fate [[LaserGuidedKarma rather ironic in its own right]]. In fact, most of the characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, would be considered [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar unambiguous war criminals]] [[SocietyMarchesOn by modern standards]]. Kenneth Ross, author of the original play, once [[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/02/25/1014471630364.html wrote an essay making this very point]]. His goal was to attack British military hypocrisy rather than to exonerate Morant and his men. Indeed, he seemed disgusted with modern-day Australians lobbying for Morant and Handcock to be pardoned, feeling they completely missed the point.

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler: Shoot straight, you bastards, don't make a mess of it!]] Also a FacingTheBulletsOneLiner.
** The title of Witton's book, "Scapegoats of the Empire", comes from the last words Morant ever said to Witton, as Witton was being led away from the prison they'd been held in, for the purposes of transferring him to England to serve his sentence.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: While calling them evil may be a stretch, Morrant cared about his fiancé, and Handockc had a wife and son he writes a final letter to.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While Kitchener and the British command staff were obviously corrupt and knowingly didn't grant the defendants a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they themselves issued (though with the [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans somewhat nobler intention of trying to end the war]]), Morant himself seemed ''way'' [[BloodKnight too eager (or at the very least, callous) to order the deaths of surrendered, unarmed POWs and a German missionary he merely suspected of spying for the Boers]], making his ultimate fate [[LaserGuidedKarma rather ironic in its own right]]. In fact, most of the characters involved in the story could be considered remorseless war criminals [[SocietyMarchesOn by modern standards]].
** Kenneth Ross, author of the original play, once [[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/02/25/1014471630364.html wrote an essay making this very point]]. His goal was to attack British military hypocrisy rather than to exonerate Morant and his men. Indeed, he seemed disgusted with modern-day Australians lobbying for Morant and Handcock to be pardoned, feeling they completely missed the point.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Thomas's cross-examination of Private Botha reveals that he'd volunteered for the icing squad of Visser and approved of killing him (something he'd tried to hide), which gets him murdered by his fellow Boers, although depending on how unsympathetic Botha may come across as, this could be viewed more as a case of RewardedAsATraitorDeserves.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Thomas's cross-examination pf Private Botha reveals that he'd volunteered for the icing squad of Visser and approved of killing him (something he'd tried to hide), which gets him murdered by his fellow Boers, although depending on how unsympathetic Botha may come across as, this could be viewed more as a case of RewardedAsATraitorDeserves.

* YourCheatingHeart: Handcock (who is married himself) slept with the wives of two Boer soldiers the day Hesse died.

* OmnidisiciplinaryLawyer: Thomas, whse main speciality is writing wills, end up conducting the defense in a capital trial.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Thomas is introduced fumbling through his notes, and admits to not having any experience with criminal trials or court-martials, but proves to be an effective CrusadingAttorney who ''hammers'' most of the prosecution witnesses.

* TheNiedermeyer: Captain Robertson, former commander of the carbineers who expresses prejudice against the Australian troops and their drinking, despite having apparently drank himself, committed plenty of war crimes himself and tries to demonize Lieutenant Handcock for HumanShield tactics which saved lives, and which Robertson made no effort to stop.

* OmnidsiciplinaryLawyer: Thomas, whse main speciality is writing wills, end up conducting the defense in a capital trial.

%%* BigBad: Lord Kitchener.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: While calling them evil may be a stretch, Morrant cared about his fiancé, and Handockc had a wife and son he writes a final letter to.

* HeroAntagonist: When you get down to it, while he is an Imperialist who sometimes comes across as a SmugSnake, Major Bolton is indeed trying men who are guilty of war crimes, and he seems to have some genuine desire to find them guilty because of what they did and not just because of the {{Realpolitik}} involved.

* SergeantRock: Handock is a lieutenant, but otherwise comes across as thi.

The late Creator/EdwardWoodward plays the title character, an English officer serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, an Australian cavalry unit. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers - Peter Handcock and George Witton - are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. A murkier issue involves the death of a German missionary, which causes diplomatic tensions with UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by Witton, whom, like Morant and Handcock, had been sentenced to death, but had his sentence quickly commuted to life in prison. Many protests by Witton led to his release just over two years later, though, he was never pardoned.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While Kitchener and the British command staff were obviously corrupted and knowingly didn't grant the defendants a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they had most probably issued themselves (though with the [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans somewhat nobler intention of bringing about the end of a brutal, unwinnable war by appealing to the Boers]]), Morant himself seemed ''way'' [[BloodKnight too eager (or at the very least, callous) to order the deaths of surrendered, unarmed POWs and a German missionary he merely suspected of spying for the Boers]], making his ultimate fate [[LaserGuidedKarma rather ironic in its own right]]. In fact, most of the characters involved in the story could be considered remorseless war criminals [[SocietyMarchesOn by modern standards]].

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* TheCastShowoff: Woodward, who sings a poem written by Morant called "At Last", on-screen during a flashback. He also sings the song that accompanies the last couple of minutes of the film and closing credits, "Soldiers of the Queen", written by Leslie Stuart.

%%* DownerEnding

** "Before I was asked to defend these men, I spent some months burning Boer farmhouses; destroying their crops; herding their women and children into ''stinking'' refugee camps, where thousands of them have died already from disease. Now, these orders ''were'' issued, sir; and soldiers, like myself, and these men here, have had to carry them out however '''''damned reluctantly!'''''"

%%* ShotAtDawn

%%* WarriorPoet: Morant.

A 1980 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on true events from the second Ango-Boer War in UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica.

The late Creator/EdwardWoodward plays the title character, an English officer serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, an Australian cavalry unit. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers - Peter Handcock and George Witton - are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. A murkier issue involves the death of a German missionary, which causes diplomatic tensions with ImperialGermany. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by Witton, whom, like Morant and Handcock, had been sentenced to death, but had his sentence quickly commuted to life in prison. Many protests by Witton led to his release just over two years later, though, he was never pardoned.

%%* IDidWhatIHadToDo

%%* KangarooCourt

* AustralianMovies

* BigBad: Lord Kitchener.

* DownerEnding

* IDidWhatIHadToDo

* KangarooCourt

* ShotAtDawn
* WarIsHell
* WarriorPoet: Morant.