Customer Reviews

The Caine Mutiny Court Martial

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In my opinion, this made for TV version about the naval court martial proceedings from Herman Wouk's novel is a classic gem in itself.

This screenplay delves much deeper into the psychological and oranizational issues surrounding the relieving of the captain of the USS Caine by his junior officers than does the 1954 movie. There is much more substance relating to the pressures and conflicts between a leader in time of war and those that must serve under him.

And the performance of the actors is also much superior to those in the theatrical movie. The latter, although a "star studded cast", were probably hampered by the sterotypical expectations of the immediate post war era. This newer crew does an excellent job of quickly filling out their character's persona with very little "on screen" time to acomplish such a feat. The starring actors, Eric Bogosian as defense attorney Greenwald and Brad Davis as Lieutenant Commander Queeg, are simply outstanding. But it is the performances by the supporting cast that turn this version of the broadway play into a true jewel of naval story telling: Jeff Daniels as Steve Maryk the accused, Peter Gallagher as the prosecuting attorney, and Michael Murphy as the Captain Presiding Officer of the Court are all extremely believable. Even the character of Captain Southard, called in as an expert at destroyer seamanship, comes over as a very strong personality. And last but not least, Ken Michels, in the cameo role of Dr. Bird, the psychiatry witness, accomplishes a classic, detestable portrayal.

And believe it or not, the climatic scene where Queeg goes paranoid on the witness stand is even more dramatic than either the book version or the subsequent 1954 motion picture.

The final scenes at the celebration party are fast and furious, so the viewer has to remain alert to pick up all the nuances of the dialog. It is kinda heavy on the holocaust theme, but Greenwald's profound statements on professional warriors and the pressures of command are the essence of Wouk's story.

All in all, this is a classic "jewel" that has not gotten the credit it truely deserves ...

Anyone who fondly remembers the 1954 THE CAINE MUTINY should enjoy the made-for-television THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL. Some might even prefer this one.
Lt. Steve Maryk (Jeff Daniels) is being court-martialed for wrongly relieving Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Queeg (Brad Davis) of command while on active duty in the Pacific. Lt. Barney Greenwald (Eric Bogosian) is Maryk's ambitious and divided attorney. To win an acquittal for his client, Greenwald will have to convince the court that Queeg is unfit for command.
Unlike Humphrey Bogart's CAINE this one, save for the opening and closing scenes, never leaves the courtroom. I think that works well here. That one was Queeg's movie, this one is Greenwald's.
Brad Davis is effective in the demanding role of Queeg. Michael Murphy, as presiding judge Capt. Blakely, does a lot with facial expressions. His reaction shots during Queeg's testimony, reflecting a horrified realization of the depth of Queeg's dementia, work. Queeg is cooked. Jeff Daniels is excellent as the somewhat dense and manipulated mutineer.
The show belongs to Bogosian, though, and it's worth the price of admission to see the final scene where he tells his client what he really thinks of the whole thing. In the '54 CAINE this was a one-off line of dialogue by Jose Ferrer. Here it's a rather extended scene that goes into greater depth explaining Greenwald's disgust with his courtroom victory.
Fans of courtroom dramas will love this.

This Made For TV production could very easily have fallen on its face by attempting to imitate the feature film. Wisely, the director and writers didn't try to recreate Bogart, MacMurray and Ferrar and let the actors create their own Queeg, Keefer and Greenwald. The best scenes are Queeq's cross-examination and the dismantlement of the smug, prissy psychiatrist. This video is well worth your time to watch.

NOTE: The quality of picture and sound is not close to DVD standards.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial was a made for TV that Robert Altman did in the late eighties. The film has all the good Altman elements and is a pretty good drama with good acting from Jeff Daniels, Peter Gallagher, and Eric Bogosian. The film is basically the trial being held for the court martial of Lt. Steve Maryk. The film is recommended for any Altman fans.

Altman is great, but this TV movie really misfires in many ways. There are many good actors here, but they all seem to be playing the wrong roles, the dialogue seems scripted and phony, the tension never builds, the drama is missing. This version was a huge disappointment.

Watch the Humphrey Bogart version if you want to see how intense The Caine Mutiny can be.