Some old movies are timeless; this is not one of them

Rating: 5/10 (25 December 2011)

Frankly, I was disappointed after having watched The Caine Mutiny. I expected something much more powerful, and all I saw was a dated film, with spotty acting, and a film saddled with a weak romantic sub plot.
More than anything else, however, I felt that the ending was a complete blow off of everything that came before it. Queeg was clearly incapable of making proper decisions, especially during the typhoon. The court martial was held, and the accused was vindicated. Then the defense attorney came along and undermined all of that, as if winning the case was an affront to the lunatic Queeg. Please...that's an insult. And that's really how I felt after spending nearly two hours watching this movie -- insulted.
Maybe censorship in the 50's necessitated such an ending, but if so, it's a major weakness of The Caine Mutiny. I happened to like Bogart's portrayal of Queeg, contrary to some other posters, but the way the film ended really made me question the validity of the film itself. If the producers felt uncomfortable making a statement that could have been interpreted as advocating mutiny in the military, they shouldn't have bothered to make the film in the first place.