User reviews

This is a remake from a German film, it was made seventeen years prior to this movie, and it was the first German film made after the war which was about the Second World War. This enjoyable WWII film has a brilliant script , original, precise, forceful , with intensity difficult to perceive . The title "Morituri" is Latin which can be translated as "we who are about to die", from the traditional salute of Roman gladiators in the arena, "Morituri Te Salutamus" , We, who are about to die, salute you! . World War II, espionage, adventure and human lives have never before been combined so explosively . It deals with a German called Rober Crain (Marlon Brando) living in India during World War II is blackmailed by the English (Trevor Howard along with Brando appeared in Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962 and were to appear again years later in Superman) to impersonate an SS officer , he aboard a freighter captained by Mueller (Yul Brynner) with a dangerous assignment . His mission is to locate and disarm the scuttling charges in order to prevent Mueller from scuttling the gunboat and its cargo upon interception by the British fleet . As the allied spy attempts to persuade German boat captain to surrender his vessel .

It's not the ordinary World War II spy movie , has an interesting as well as gripping screenplay without mannerisms , though is sometimes slow-moving and overlong . The improvisations throughout history , traps the writer to throw , the short dialogues and surprises rise the action . Sensational interpretations , where all the characters are equally evil in their intentions . Brando plays a Nazi soldier in this film as he had done so in the earlier ¨The young lions¨(1958) for 20th Century Fox, both movies being filmed in black-and-white and both being for made for the same studio. Yul Brynner -is no surprise- magnificent , the film's marketing boasted the surname alliteration of Brando and Brynner . A very support cast such as gorgeous Janet Margolin as Jewish Esther , Trevor Howard as Colonel Statter , Martin Benrath as Kruse , Hans Christian Blech as Donkeyman and William Redfield as Baldwin and Wally Cox as Dr. Ambach

Atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Conrad Hall ("Road to Perdition" 2002, "In Cold Blood" 1967,) . Evocative as well thrilling musical score by the great Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of apes , Patton) , full of nuances and details make a lovely movie. The motion picture was professionally directed by Berhard Wicki . He was a notorious stage actor , producer , filmmaker and secondary player . Wicki, who was clown before he became a soldier, stole food for and entertained his French prisoners while they waited to find out if they would be executed. He imprisoned for ten months at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp because of his earlier affiliation with the communist party. Started directing films from 1958 . Best known for his anti-war film ¨The Bridge¨ (1959) and subsequently ¨ Morituri¨. This movie bombed at the box-office upon initial release , it is believe that the film's title was not understood by the public . As such, when re-released, the film was re-named "Saboteur: Code Name Morituri"

I don't mean to be repetitive but I stumbled onto this film at my local video rental store just like one of the other reviewers wrote. I'd never heard of it before. A movie with both Yul Brynner and Marlon Brando. A war movie at that. And I'd never heard of it. Not that I'm a super movie buff but at least I think that this is one I would have come across at some point.

Anyway, it's a great film about the conflicts between duty and beliefs. Each character is on a mission not of their making or preference. Each actor does a great job of portraying the difficulty in taking on a task one would rather not have to do.

This one is worth watching. I give it an 8.

Back in April 2001, I saw Last Tango In Paris and I've been on a Marlon Brando kick ever since. I read Peter Manso's Brando biography, which states that the film was panned and I really don't understand why.

The film boasts two commanding performances by Brando and Yul Brynner.

Brando plays a German man who's blackmailed by British Intelligence to pose as a NAZI officer on a German ship commanded by Brynner. Brando's German accent was full on the whole way through. And after seeing various Brando films, it was really cool to see Brando play a double agent that was light on his feet, sneaking in and out of rooms on a German ship, in an attempt to sabatoge the ship. The supporting performances are solid all the way around. Trevor Howard has a nice cameo at the beginning of the film as a British Intelligence man.

I've always known about Yul Brynner, but this is the first time I see one of his performances. I can see why he's a legendary actor. The guy has tons of personality and has the acting ability to go with his charisma. And watching him work with Brando was an absolute pleasure. Now I definitely have to go and rent more of Brynner's stuff.

Brando's career presumably took a dive in the 60s, but Morituri is definitely a good movie with excellent performances by its two leads and it boasts some of the best camera work I've ever seen.

On a scale from 1-10, I'd give the film at least an 8.

If the plot is a little hard to follow at times, Morituri at least looks great. Fantastic black and white cinematography, which provides some great noirish moments, especially below-deck, and Marlon Brando, make this a very beautiful movie to look at. The 60's are generally thought of as Brando's "down period," between his giving up the part of Lawrence of Arabia and ending up being falsely blamed for the project he chose instead of it going over budget, Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), and his massive "comeback" with The Godfather in 1972 (by the way, Marlon's simple reason for his choice between the two projects, was he'd much prefer to be swimming in beautiful Tahiti for three months than stuck in a hot desert for three months!). Because of this myth, Brando afficionadoes seek out movies from this period and test how accurate a reflection of talent and ability public opinion and money-making is. I haven't yet seen all of them, but the example of Morituri suggests that there was no reason to suspect Brando's talents ever dimmed. Some projects he had no respect for, and clearly just walked through the part - but when he cared, and when the director could tell the difference between a "full" take and an empty one, Brando was electric. Morituri is an example where we see Brando at his best. His German accent in this is actually quite good - certainly better than his English accent - and it contains quite a few special Brando moments (like when he is discovered below-deck by someone who isn't aware he shouldn't be there). Jerry Goldsmith's (Omen) score is a highlight. Very Herrmann-esque.

In 1942 Japan, the Germans are desperate to open the shipping lanes between Japan and Germany. German Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner) is still being blamed for having a drink before getting torpedoed in his last assignment. He is bitter at his son's treatment by the military brass. There is a shortage of manpower and Mueller is forced to take on prisoners pressed into service. He is transporting a valuable load of rubber destine to supply the German war machine for three full months. In India, German deserter Robert Crain (Marlon Brando) is recruited by British intelligence. They expect any approach by the Allies would immediately set Mueller to scuttle the ship. While pretending to be an SS official, Crain is tasked with surreptitiously disabling the scuttling charges and thereby securing the cargo for the American Navy.

The sneaking around in the bowels of the ship is not the most compelling. The secret meeting with the German prisoners is when the drama really starts. There is a bit of awkwardness with Mueller's views. One would expect him to hide his disdain much better. I like the interrogation scene with the two visiting officers. The problem does resolve itself pretty quickly and I really like the hospital ship reveal. It's a compelling fight to the finish. Brando is doing well. Brynner is acting a little too much although his role is calling for it. The action could be better. Overall, it's a solid thriller.

A German expatriate pacifist (Marlon Brando) is forced to pose as an SS Standard Leader for the purpose of disabling the scuttling charges on a merchant ship carrying rubber vital to the German war effort. Yul Brynner plays the disillusioned captain (Mueller), Martin Benrath the gun-ho first officer (Kruse), Janet Margolin an abused Jewess captive (Esther) and Hans Christian Blech a notable crewman (Donkeyman).

Released in 1965 and unfortunately shot in B&W, "Morituri" is a suspense/drama taking place almost entirely on the freighter in the Pacific. The first 50 minutes are kinda meh as "Mr. Kyle" (Brando) sneaks around the ship disabling explosives and it's not very believable. From there, though, the dramatics get interesting as suspense builds to an unexpected climax. Margolin's character is desirable, but sad.

The inscrutable title comes from the Latin morituri te salutant meaning "We who are about to die salute you." At the end of the day "Morituri" is a must for fans of Brando or Brynner, not to mention those interested in 60's WWII flicks. While not great, it's a worthwhile antidote to modern blockbuster drivel (speaking as someone who enjoys a CGI-laden blockbuster now and then).

The film runs 2 hours, 3 minutes.

GRADE: B/B-

I stumbled across MORITURI in a Virginia Blockbuster; I've never seen it for rent anywhere else. I noticed that it had Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner, so I thought it had to be worth a try. And so I saw what turned out to be one of the top 20 World War II movies I've ever seen. That's right, up there with PATTON, THE YOUNG LIONS, and the like.

Brando plays Robert Crain, who is assigned to go undercover on board a German freighter transporting a cargo of rubber to the war zone. He must impersonate a Nazi to do this, and must face some hard choices as to how cruel he can be to appear realistic. Brynner is Muller, the captain of the freighter who has accepted the job as his last chance to save his career in the German merchant marine. He is fair and compassionate and must rein in the fanatical Nazi second-in-command that his superiors have appointed for him. En route, the freighter picks up the survivors of a U-boat, including Esther (Janet Margolin) a beautiful young concentration camp survivor who is so brimming with hatred and vengefulness that she can no longer even accept human compassion.

Brando is very good in his role, but he is completely upstaged by Brynner, who gives the performance of a lifetime. His conflict, between his patriotism and self-preservation on the one side and the vileness of what the Nazis are doing to him and to his country on the other, is marvelously realized. The movie also features a beautiful exchange between Brando and one of the passengers - "I was a political prisoner." "Falsely accused, of course." "No. Not falsely accused." (smiles). I have a soft spot for movies where adversaries come to respect each other, and MORITURI is one of the best of that type.

Good luck finding this movie. It's a true diamond in the rough.

Rating: ***1/2 out of ****.

Blackmailed into impersonating an SS officer so that he can sabotage a Nazi cargo ship, a German expatriate gradually discovers that the ruthless ship captain detests the war just as much as him in this striking World War II thriller. The film bombed upon initial release and has since slid into relative obscurity - something often attributed to the obtuse title - which is a shame, since it is a commendable effort with all concerned in top form. Marlon Brando carries a credible German accent and Janet Margolin has some strong scenes as a Jewish woman rescued from a U-boat, however, the film absolutely belongs to Yul Brynner as the ship's captain, only ever-so-gradually humanised with his unrequited affection for Margolin and his coming to see Brando's saboteur as a friend. The film does not exactly spin an airtight story and Brando's absolute ease in impersonating an SS officer never quite rings true; the fact that he never seems that nervous or worried about being found out also renders his character less interesting. There is, however, a lot to like in the similarities that Brando and Brynner soon find with one another, both resentful of the Nazis, albeit for different reasons. The film also benefits from one of Jerry Goldsmith's most rousing scores and Conrad L. Hall's Oscar nominated mobile cinematography admirably brings the enclosed ship environment to life.

Excellent film involving espionage during World War 11. Marlon Brando plays a German citizen living in India who is blackmailed to go on a ship filled with rubber that is bound for Germany. His assignment is to dislodge charges on the boat so that the allies can get the rubber.

He doesn't immediately hit it off with the ship's captain-Yul Brynner.

Nevertheless, this becomes a great spy film where Brando and Brynner both reveal their anti-Nazi feelings.

In a supporting role, Janet Margolin plays a Jewess boarded on the boat along with American prisoners. Her description of what happened to her parents and brother are memorable. She is very effective in her role as the tragic young lady.

This film is exciting and very revealing. The end gets you to think, something which is rare in films today.

Morituri (1965)

I had no expectation here. The name was odd. And the description was odd--a WWII film from the point of view of the enemy. Sort of. And so I didn't really think I'd be fully captive.

And I was. This is a special film war film. For one thing it has Marlon Brando being his arrogant best, and Yul Brynner, too. It presents an odd dramatic situation, a tension between strong willed characters who don't quite know what the other is up to. Here I mean Brando playing a German plant on this ship going from Japan to Europe, and Brynner, the captain, a disgruntled German with some experience both with the wheel and the bottle.

The ship is a modern (1942) Japanese ship, and among the crew are a bunch of political prisoners, who of course can't be totally trusted. The cargo is rubber, the most sought after material in the early war (later it would be uranium, I suppose).

Cinematographer Connie Hall is quite aggressive and brilliant with his photography, keeping the angles and movement nearly constant. The light is dramatic, the sharpness clean. And he got nominated for an Oscar for his work. The interior of the ship is large and filled with strange turns, great heights, lots of interior and exterior spaces that take you by surprise. Beautiful stuff.

The plot moves more quickly than you'd expect, too, with little surprises and turns, like finding a burning American ship at night and rescuing survivors. One of these is a young woman who was born in Berlin and they question her--why is a German on an enemy ship? And she says she is not German. And they ask what is she? You expect here that she might say she was American, but even better she says, "I am anti-German."

The script is tight and believable. The scenario, which is not formed from fact as far as I could discover (it's based on a novel), seems reasonable. And it ends up being more subtle than you'd expect. Yes, there are aspects that are obvious dramatic additions--the one woman who appears, for example, happens to be Jewish--but these end up being ways of showing people's characters. Ultimately that's what this movie is about.

A Different Movie about WW2 mainly because of his cast..Bernard Wicki The Director is German,and has been widely praised for his other WW2 movie "the Bridge" also seen from the german side..the photography is exceptionnal,the man working easily in low key and in high key depending of the drama..the acting is something too : Brando is acting the way you expect from him ..he is less at ease with a tough german director than ,say, with lewis Milestone who had him in another Mutiny story 3 years before...this time he is clearly upstaged by Trevor Howard much more happy with a anti-actor's studio director..Yul Brynner didn't have the chance to play in good movies since "Magnificent 7" and was certainly happy to be cast in this one..The best Moment of the movie belongs to him : the radio just said that his son has sunk an enemy vessel.Everybody congratulates him.Someone grabs a navy book to know what this sunk ship looks like..in 5 seconds we see Yul's face turning from happiness to bitterness..the ship sunk was an Hospital Ship.

An interesting and rather dark war story that takes place aboard a German merchant vessel during WWII. The black and white filming adds to the generally drab and realistic ambiance of the ocean crossing. Marlon Brando's expatriate is trapped into a scheme of espionage/sabotage, and his grim, softly sneering coolness gives the character of Robert Crain an added dimension. Yul Brynner plays the captain of the ship, out of favor with the Nazi party and under surveillance, yet still "pragmatically patriotic" to the Fatherland. Brynner is an oft-underrated actor because of the larger-than-life roles he played, but this film better showcases the subtlety he was capable of, and at times his performance excels. This is a complex and tense war movie that views both sides through a curtain of ugliness, yet captures moments of honor and loyalty and even kindness, a facet that other war movies in this genre often lack. The realism of the shipboard action is crucial--you could get a flutter of seasickness just watching--and all of the characters show depth and detail. No spoilers here; try to find this flick at the video store and watch it a couple of times. It's worth the search.

A war pacifist (Marlon Brando) is blackmailed to pose as an SS officer and to disable the scuttling explosives on freighter carrying rubber cargo to be captured by the Allies.

The film did not do well on its original release, probably at least in part because few people understood its title. The movie is also one of unrelieved gloom, which may have been a factor. The film was a financial disaster. In an attempt to be more commercial, the film was reissued as "Saboteur: Code Name Morituri". Even knowing what the word means and seeing the film, I still find it strange.

Marlon Brando is pretty great here. I don't know if he is generally recognized as a great actor. I suppose he is, but you don't often hear him listed among the greats. But if I didn't know who he was, I would have believed he was, in fact, a German actor. The accent is really good. (Germans may disagree, but to these American ears it was spot on.)

Having just sat through a terrible performance by Marlon Brando in "The Missouri Breaks", I probably was not terribly inclined to enjoy him in "Morituri". It's just that although I've seen and reviewed a ton of films, I really haven't seen too many of Brando's and thought I'd give a few a try.

Fortunately, Brando's performance was very muted--perhaps a little too muted at times. But, he was not a deficit in the film and his German accent sounded okay to me--though I'd love to hear what some Germans think of his efforts in this regard.

The film begins with a British officer (Trevor Howard) blackmailing Brando into helping the Allies capture a shipment of rubber. His job is to pretend to be an SS passenger and disarm the system for scuttling the vessel should there be an attempt to seize it. Naturally, this is NOT as easy as it sounds (and it doesn't sound easy) and there are lots of complications. In addition to Brando, Yul Brynner plays the captain and Janet Margolin as rather shrill lady prisoner. None of it is the least bit brilliant and the Captain seems a bit revisionist in style, but it's a pleasant little war film...plus it IS different. Worth seeing but certainly not a must-see.

By the way, towards the end is some music that sounds inspired by that in "Psycho". What do you think?

Since I loved Marlon Brando's performance as a German soldier in The Young Lions, I was very excited to see him play another one in Morituri. The set-up of this movie was enough to lure me in even without his flawless accent (which was just as perfect as it was seven years earlier): Marlon plays a German living in England in order to avoid fighting in WWII. He's approached by Trevor Howard, who blackmails him into playing a double agent. If Marlon refuses, he'll be turned over to the Germans and have to fight anyway, but if he agrees, he'll get a British passport after his mission is completed. Intriguing, isn't it?

Marlon gets gussied up in a uniform, briefed on his orders, and boards the cargo ship run by Yul Brynner. Yul is immediately suspicious of the newcomer, but Marlon does his best to ingratiate himself among every crew member - while also trying to sabotage the ship and report back to Trevor. It's a very exciting, fast-paced drama set in a tense environment where there is no escape. Out on the choppy sea, if Marlon is discovered, he can't get help from anyone.

If you haven't heard of this oldie, and you like seeing Marlon in his less-famous roles, rent Morituri this weekend. He has some great expressions, and once again gets to show up other actors who failed to convincingly put on a German accent (I'm looking at you, Burt Lancaster!).

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Since the film takes place on a ship, there are some camera bobs that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

One of the many things this great (but at the time overlooked) movie did was to indirectly dispel some of the mislaid blame laid on Brando for the excesses of "Mutiny on the Bounty". Here he is again working with Trevor Howard (Bligh in "Mutiny")whom the press said loathed Brando (although Howard himself came to Brando's defense during the "Mutiny" blame game. Also, here is Brando again working with Aaron Rosenburg (also from "Mutiny") whom the press clippings claimed would never work with Brando again. By all accounts, all associated with Morituri got along famously and were all on their best professional behavior. This is one of Marlon's better works during the 1960's and it is sad that the Critic's were so eager to pounce upon it. It is one of those rare films that has grown better with age. Thankfully it is out now on DVD and given the treatment it deserves.

Morituri is by no means a flawless masterpiece, but it is a good film. The problem is, because of a somewhat intricate plot you have to watch it a couple of times to understand it. Some parts of the film are dull, especially some of the engine room scenes where there is relative silence--only the noise of the engine room is heard, but it is also gripping at times. I decided to give this film another shot-and I'm glad I did. I found that it is quite interesting, after you watch it a couple of times you understand the purpose of Brando's character in the film. He is great in this film, his accent is flawless and he looks just great--I wish he would have done more action-oriented films. The cinematography is also great, and I absolutely loved the musical score. Hopefully, people will give this movie a chance and see that Brando did do a few good films in the 60's and stop giving him a bum rap.

During Marlon Brando's lost decade -- of box office and critical failures in-between ONE-EYED JACKS and THE GODFATHER -- he played the unlikeliest of World War II-movie heroes in MORITURI...

Which is where Brando's Robert Crain begins... in an expository mission-setup sequence with Trevor Howard, who finds Marlon's pacifist German character hiding out in India before thrusting him into the complicated task...

Going undercover aboard a freighter ship -- powered by Germans pretending to be Swedish to avoid detection -- that carries rubber (of all things) to provide the Nazis a way of getting around Europe... and the goal's to disable random anti-capture explosives so the allies can steal the goods...

So the action mostly takes place onboard the steely, gray-walled vessel captained by proud German Yul Brynner, a good man despite the side he's on, and that he was born into... long before Hitler took command...

Brando, however, hardly seems like the cold-blooded Nazi he's impersonating, while complications sustain aboard the ship... a potentially tense Alfred Hitchcock style setting... including a group of blue collar prisoners planning a violent break and of course, the token distressed damsel...

Which, in the case of Jewish refugee Janet Margolin, is a plot-point that should have been abandoned altogether... if simply to provide more screen-time to a "fellow Reich Officer" Brando befriends to find those bombs quicker...

But our man has too many people to contend with, so his initially dangerous errand becomes an afterthought, turning a wartime thriller into a rather bland melodrama that does, however, have some decent moments and good acting...

Though falling short given that the dream cast, particularly Brando and Brynner, are too relaxed for the promised bombastic combination of opposing polar-opposites: basically, either character could have been played by anyone.