There are lots of World War II movies out there and some of them have risen to become well known as not just classics in their genre, but outstanding films overall. Sadly, one that I absolutely love has become somewhat forgotten by most people, which I think is another that deserves to be recognized as outstanding. That film being the 1971 Murphy's War starring Peter O'Toole.
Murphy's War tells the tale of an aircraft mechanic (played by O'Toole) on a merchant marine vessel, who narrowly survives a German U-boat attack that sinks his vessel and the subsequent war crime of shooting almost all the survivors in the closing months of World War II. As the mechanic physically recovers from his experience, the trauma and rage (and some survivor's guilt) quickly consume him to the point of obsession to find a way to inflict revenge on the sub and her crew.
It's an excellent movie with an especially great performance by O'Toole, who perfectly portrays the increasing desperations of a man that is ever more consumed by vengeance. I view it as a cautionary tale of fully giving into the hatred in your heart without being able to stop and evaluate to either come to terms or let it go, and it has an ending to reflect the consequences of doing so. It also has some utterly amazing flying sequences in the film that just can't be missed and the plane they used for it is actually currently preserved in the National USAF Museum of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Now the film is certainly not perfect, it does have some pacing issues, with some slow points, and it could (and probably should) have developed some secondary characters a little more, but it's still a great film that builds the suspense and even gives a good red herring or two before the end. It's possible I may have a little bit of nostalgic bias for the movie as it is one I remember watching for the first time with my grandpa, but I still think the film is great. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
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