Uneven, but interesting and has its merits

Rating: 6/10 (2 October 2011)

My main draw for seeing The Caine Mutiny was Humphrey Bogart, who I like a lot particularly in Casablanca, The African Queen and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. After finally seeing it, The Caine Mutiny is my definition of an interesting but uneven movie.
I have to say The Caine Mutiny is a well made movie. The cinematography shows a lot of skill, and the settings and costumes are very nice to look at. There is also a wonderful music score from the legendary Max Steiner that enhances the mood of the film very well.
Bogart himself is marvellous as a complex albeit rather unsympathetic character, while I personally don't cite The Caine Mutiny amongst his best films, I would do so amongst his best performances.
Fred McMurray and Van Johnson are also very good, alongside Bogart's their characters are among the most interesting of the film, particularly McMurray. Jose Ferrer doesn't show up until towards the end, and while the drunken rant left much to be desired written quality-wise Ferrer does do what he can with the role.
The Caine Mutiny is also beautifully directed.
The film's story is an interesting one, especially with the courtroom scenes, however it is not always a very exciting one. I felt it dragged towards the end, and the scenes with May Wynn and Robert Francis were rather dull and stilted.
Script-wise, there is some thoughtful, intelligent and meaningful dialogue there, but there is also the duller scenes with Wynn and Francis and the drunken rant that did let it down. Most of the characters are well-written, particularly Bogart's and McMurray's, but some like Tom Tully's for example didn't engage me.
Again, most of the performances were fine, however I think Tom Tully struggled with a rather bland character, and May Wynn and Robert Francis's characters are not only dull but they also manage to be equally so.
Overall, interesting but uneven film. Worth seeing for Bogart, the score and the courtroom scenes but a few other bland performances and some dull scenes and pacing brought it down. 6/10 Bethany Cox