A different Bogart

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2009)

Usually we have seen Humphrey Bogart playing roles of criminals, smugglers and in the 40-50s as detective and tough man for making justice, but in this film you have another Bogart, totally different, an unexpected one, which shows that this man was able to play any role, that's why he was exceptionally good and perhaps one of the greatest in Hollywood.
The film is a jewel because of the plot and also good performance of the rest of the cast. Veteran Fred MacMurray was excellent and Jose Ferrer superb. Add to this the also good acting of Van Johnson.
The value of the film is that it shows the ethics of the people, how they behave, how some persons change according to the circumstances, mostly looking at their personal interests, instead others look for improvement. Navy and army have their rules and sometimes these are imposed following the instructions of the commander, mistakes here may cost lives and defeats. Those opposing wrong orders have no other choice than to follow them because mutiny is not an acceptable act and may bring severe punishment to those implied in it. The labyrinth of situations and behaviors is what you will admire from this film.
However, reading carefully the life of the director, Edward Dmytryk, one may assert that with this film he wanted to justify his behavior during the period of the process for the so-called antiamerican activities. If you see the end of the film you may conclude that "orders are to be followed and not to be argued", no matter if your boss is a mad man unable to give the correct orders or advice.