Murphy's War

Plot synopsis:
In the closing days of World War II, Irishman Murphy (Peter O'Toole) is the sole survivor of the crew of a merchant ship, Mount Kyle, which had been sunk by a German U-boat and the survivors machine-gunned in the water. Murphy makes it ashore (to a missionary settlement on the Orinoco in Venezuela) where he is treated by a pacifist Quaker doctor, Dr Hayden (Siân Phillips).
When he discovers the U-boat is hiding farther up river, under the cover of the jungle, he sets about obsessively plotting to sink it by any means, including using a surviving Grumman J2F Duck floatplane from the Mount Kyle. The floatplane had been recovered, the wounded pilot later being shot dead in his hospital bed by the U-boat captain, in order to preserve the secret of the sub's location and, presumably, its action in shooting survivors in the water.
Murphy learns how to fly the aircraft in the most daring way, getting it out on the choppy waters of the river and discovering how the controls work by trial and error. Murphy soon finds the U-boat's hiding place and attempts to bomb it using home-made Molotov cocktail bombs, which fails. Meanwhile, word has come that Germany has surrendered, but Murphy is obsessed with revenge and makes plans to ram the U-boat with a floating crane owned by the friendly Frenchman Louis (Philippe Noiret). This also fails as the U-boat dives under him. However, the submerged U-boat becomes stuck in a mud bank. Murphy uses the crane to recover an unexploded torpedo fired earlier from the U-boat and drops it on the trapped crew, killing them. Murphy is also killed, as the explosion from the torpedo causes the crane jib to pin him to the deck as the floating crane sinks to the river bed.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
MURPHY'S WAR Peter O'TooleDirector Peter Yates Central Casting sent Jerry Floyd, Nick (the bubble) and myself down to Portsmouth or Southampton (cant remember which) to play German U Boat crew.
When we get called onto the set we go below decks on a British submarine that is decked out like a second world war German U Boat.
Now it seems in the film the U Boat has run aground on a sand bank on an inlet river in South America and is waiting for the tide to turn so it can re-float.
Bert Batt the 1st A.D. took us all to see the Director Peter Yates (of Bullitt fame) and I was chosen to be the blue eyed German working the controls of the Sub..
Mad Irishman Revenges self on Sub. Crusty Irish Seaman (ooooh that just sounds wrong!) Peter O'Toole swears vengeance upon the nasty German U-boat that sank his ship.
Anyone who likes Peter O'Toole should see Murphy's War. The location shooting is beautiful.
"In every massacre" quotes the sage, "there is always a survivor." Such is the premise in the film "Murphy's War." During the final months of World War Two, a German U-Boat commander, (Horst Janson) cruising the South American coast line, attacks and sinks a British ship of war, killing all aboard.
His name is Murphy, brilliantly played by Peter O'Toole.
That is not the conclusion of seaman Murphy who believes the only way he will be able to rid himself of the nightmarish screams of his dying comrades is to seek out and destroy the German U-Boat.
This might be a death-wish to some, but not to Murphy who believes that regardless of the inevitable outcome of the war, his sole purpose in life is revenge.
(Philippe Noiret) Louie has worked in the forgotten, backwaters of the Amazon for years, patiently waiting the end of the war.
It´s still one of the best I´ve seen, thanks to the great acting from Peter O'Toole and the other cast too.The story itself, is maybe not too complex, but the excellent acting makes this one very different.
In scanning through these reviews, I'm very pleased to see that this movie is well liked by many people.I saw it first around the time it came out and even though I was only eleven or twelve, many things about this movie left an impression on me: the sunny, tropical locations, the excellent cast and the impeccable performances.The very last scene where Murphy is literally consumed by his own revenge is at least as memorable and disturbing as the last scene in The Planet of the Apes (60's version) and drives home the whole point of the movie as perfectly as I've ever seen it done.See it!
Although I'm not a big fan of war movies, I found this one very good, which comes as no surprise since Peter O'Toole is in it.
While his vengeance is of course reminiscent of Ahab's personal vendetta, "Murphy's war" is all about O'Toole's intensity and his unmatched ability to capture madness, pain, obsession, self-absorption.As I understood, O'Toole did most of the stunts himself, so the horrified look on his face, in the breath taking plane sequence, was actually the real deal.
It's a detail of no major importance by any means, but it ads to the overall impression of realism.This drama about the devastating effects of war, with great acting, a most realistic flight sequence and a surprising conclusion that fits perfectly – is not to be missed.I'm still hoping for a better DVD transfer in Region 2..
When a film with a straightforward narrative, and a relatively simple plot with very few characters can rivet you to your seat right until the end, you have a hell of a story on your hands!
And the reviewer who thinks the role of Murphy isn't suited for Peter O'Toole should have his head examined!
One could critique the film from sociological or psychological perspectives, and question whether the screenwriter intended for Murphy to symbolize the evil war can bring out in man, or the greatness, or both.
A modern day remake would probably have the Peter O Toole and Sian Phillips characters falling in love or whatever but the ending to Murphy was a surprise to me as I expected the "happy ending".
Sit back, turn up the volume and watch Peter O'Toole's character attempt to lift off an aeroplane when he has never flown one before.It's the roaring sound of the aeroplane engine that does it.
Peter O'Toole's top-notch acting as a brave seaman obsessed with getting vengeance on a German U-boat.
Two World War was just ending , a German submarine , U-Boat , commanded by a captain called Lauchs (Horst Janson) sinks an English ship and gun down most of its crew .
Then , a sole survivor of the ship , the revenge-minded Murphy (Peter O'Toole) carries on his own war , no matter what the cost to himself .
Murphy's war is about to begin from a settlement on the banks of the Orinoco River .Thrilling and exciting screenplay concerning about an obsessive seaman with an eagerly determination to seek vendetta on the Germans , even after he learns the war has ended .
Interesting and moving script by prestigious Sterling Silliphant , saddling some nice action scenes at the ending , when it takes place a relentless pursuit between a boat and the sub , specially in the last reel .
Sensational acting by Peter O'Toole as the lone survivor from a British naval ship who seeks revenge when his ship is sunk by the Germans and gunned down most of its crew .
However , his extreme obsession with desire for vengeance upon the Germans isn't believable , but the moments that click make the movie more than worthwhile .
Other important players are : Philippe Noiret as his supporter and sympathetic helper gives a mesmerizing acting , Siân Phillips as a good-tempered nurse and Horst Janson as a captain who massacred the Allied shipmates in the water .Magnificent color cinematography on tropical places by Douglas Slocombe .
The motion picture was compellingly made by Peter Yates and splendidly edited by film editor John Glen , subsequently director of James Bond movies .
His best films include the stylish and ingenious caper comedy Hot Rock (1972); the underwater adventure Deep (1977), based on the novel and screenplay by Peter Benchley ; and the quirky coming-of-age comedy Breaking away (1979).
Our cinema in Lochgelly was rather lax about age restrictions.Scenes still stick in my mind and its themes are still very much with me — the horror and dehumanizing impact of war and the futility of revenge.I have since seen the film again and I was glad not to be disappointed.
The performances, setting and story all work together to draw you into its dark and dangerous world.Most notably of all, the U-boat commander and his men are portrayed as human beings.
While I found Murphy's War to be an engaging tale, the sight of an antique float plane in weathered condition humping up and down the river straining to get airborne was exciting (along the lines of a Curtiss Jenny in The Great Waldo Pepper or that '59 finned-automobile in Pink Cadillac).
Peter O'Toole stars as Murphy, sole survivor of a ship torpedoed by a German U-boat at the close of WW2.
Towards the end of the film, a means to get his revenge becomes available and he sets out to kill the U=boat.
Having said that, the basic plot of Murphy's War bears a striking resemblance to that of The African Queen but it doesn't come close to that classic.
I first saw Murphy's War (I had previously read Catto's novel) when it was released as a feature movie.
Having said that - and after revisiting Murphy's War - the movie has aged better than some and is worth watching if only for the flying sequences, the delightful performance of Phillipe Noiret and the marvellous panoramas of a South American river delta..
This is the simple story of Murphy, merchant seaman sole survivor of a U boat attack on his ship.
War is personal, unpredictable, murderous and ultimately pointless.Sure, there are flaws, Peter O'Toole's Irish accent is way too stage-Irish for my liking, despite the fact that he is Irish.
Murphys war is a great movie.
location, peter o Toole of course was doing his thing .one hell of a actor.all of the actors did a great job and the story itself was terrific.
NY I worked on the same aircraft that was in the movie the aircraft was in one of our hangers so i sat in the cockpit and for a split second i was peter o Toole.
I sure would like to know the name of the river where they made the movie.also the ending was a real surprise.
As submarine-related movies go, I'd put this one right up there with "Das Boot" for realism in terms of the sub footage, and as someone else posted here, the sound on the flying sequences is great!
In the last days of the second world war a German U-Boat sinks a British merchant ship on the Orinoco river .
One survivor is left , an Irishman called Murphy who becomes obsessed with revenge All the ingredients of a very good war film are here .
Big name star , sadistic Nazis , exotic locations and yet for some reason MURPHY'S WAR fails to take off completely .
The Nazis are portrayed as fascist brutes and the film does revolve around Murphy's obsession with revenge .
and this makes for a rather uninvolving film .MURPHY'S WAR does contain long sequences where no one speaks and while some people may admire the qualities of sound editing I didn't .
O'Toole's U-Boat and all his men are attacked mercilessly by their deadly enemy, he is the only survivor, with healing from his caring doctor he endeavors to strike back at his enemy by rebuilding an old submerged war plane to "make things right", he has plenty to do, as do the civilians on the island where he was healed.
The use of revenge is not a new technique but this is a fresh revisit of the old standards of movie-making and the morals that was felt at the time.
Very good WW 2 film about revenge.Incredible acting by O'Toole and very good story.The movie at times was slow but not too slow as to destroy the overall quality of the film.Could have been a masterpece with better cinematography,script and screenplay.Originality is this films power and will certainly delight fans of WW 2 suspense dramas and big fans of Peter O'Toole.......
With both English and Irish blood flowing in my veins, I've always thought this hostility was sad and futile.The Nazis are not demonized, in fact you see them cavorting around after the end of the war is announced, just as you see them shooting the English in the water like ducks on a pond after they torpedo their ship.
The role of sole surviver of a German U Boat attack, and hisobsession with revenge is well played by Peter O'Toole.Exciting scenes as he tries various ways of destroying the UBoat, while the audience is made aware of the emotions andthought processes of the people involved.
Murphy's boat gets attacked by an German sub and he is the only survivor.
This is a good old, war movie.
This is a good old, war movie.
Peter O'Toole has the stare of an obsessed, determined man down pat, but this is not quite one of his most remarkable performances.
I enjoyed the movie very much, but then Peter O'Toole is a grate Actor and his films are usually worth watching.
"Murphy's War" is one of Peter O' Toole's better films.
The leading lady, Sian Phillips (Mrs. O' Toole) is very effective as the medic of the island which provides the films setting.
As the title implies, it becomes a case of Murphy carrying his private revenge upon the German sailors who slaughter his comrades as they are defenceless against a German U boat.
When "Murphy" witnesses the murder of his mates in the water, (after their cargo ship is torpedoed by a German submarine) his only thought is revenge.
Peter O'Toole is great as the Irish knockabout guy.
I can't make up my mind how I feel about Murphy's War. It is a simple story - Murphy is the sole survivor of a German U-Boat attack where the Germans make a point of making sure there are no survivors.
His plans continue even after hostilities cease.Peter O'Toole plays the obsessed Murphy in another definitive performance 9 years after his career-establishing Lawrence.
But this is O'Toole's film.There is an odd conflict here between, on the one hand, the gorgeous scenery and exhilarating flying sequences and, on the other hand, the underlying story and the unattractiveness of Murphy's character and obsession.
A British merchant seaman whose ship is sunk and crew mates murdered by a Nazi U-Boat off the coast of Venezuela, improvises revenge..
It was made at a time when action/suspense movies did not rely on melodrama, super-human characters, or stunts and special effects that defy the laws of physics; rather, the story follows real people (played by actors who can actually act) in dramatic conflict.
Peter O'Toole is, as always, pitch-perfect playing an Irishman in the British merchant marine during World War II.
Reminiscent of Terrence Malik, director Peter Yates evokes both the calm, tropical beauty of the movie's setting on the Orinoco river delta in Venezuela, and the reflexive violence and weariness of men who have lived at war for half a decade.
A classic and original style war movie with intense acting from Peter O'Toole.
A sailor who at the end of the war witnesses his ship and crew torpedoed by a German u-boat.
Set toward the tail-end of World War Two, "Murphy's War" stars Peter O'Toole as Murphy, an Irish sailor whose ship is sunk by a German U-boat.
Seeking revenge, Murphy creates makeshift bombs, straps them to a plane and embarks on a quest to sink Germans.
The film was directed by Peter Yates, an English director best known for 1968's "Bullit" and 1970's "The Friends of Eddie Coyle".Like Herman Melville's "Moby Dick", "Murphy's War" is about a monomaniacal sailor's obsessive hunt.
The film then ends with some then trendy anti-war pretensions, Murphy's madness extending into post-war peacetime such that he, like Meville's Captain Ahab, loses his own life in slaying the beast.
Though a thin, conventional and at times dated film, "Murphy's War" boasts another dazzling performance by O'Toole.7/10- See "Decision before Dawn" and "The African Queen"..
In all it's not a bad movie, especially with Peter O'Toole as the main character.
The Germans did not operate in South American waters  let alone a river delta in Venezuela  nor did they make it a practice of strafing innocent mariners after they torpedoed their boats.Secondly, legendary actor Peter O'Toole was horrid in the lead (Murphy)!
He had a lot of trouble taking off in the plane and appears to be a novice, nevertheless we see him performing expert stunts a few moments later. After Murphy bombs the submarine, the Germans come looking for him at the village.
As newspaper freebies go this isn't bad but over and above any entertainment value is the fascination with the rip-off and crude attempts at movie subtlety; they producers seem to think that by changing the war from the 1st to the second, changing the Continent from Africa to South America and changing a cockney to an Irishman and a missionary to a doctor no one is going to spot that we're talking African Queen here with a soupcon of Moby Dick for good measure.
There are, of course, other minor differences; in The African Queen it is the missionary Katie Hepburn who wants to destroy the German ship and has to convince Bogie's Charlie Allnut to go along with it whilst here it is Murphy (Peter O'Toole) as single minded as Ahab in his quest for the White whale, who is obsessed with destroying the German ship and Sian Phillips doctor who is against it from the first.
Another modification is to meld the Missionary of The African Queen into Sian Phillip's doctor and Philippe Noiret's general factotum and to throw us off the scent by having O'Toole initially attempt to bomb the submarine from a seaplane he has found, rebuilt and learned to fly.
MURPHY'S WAR is a WW2 thriller shot in Venezuela to give it an exotic look.
The unusual storyline is the best thing about it and similar to Wilbur Smith's SHOUT AT THE DEVIL in the tale of an Allied soldier obsessed with getting revenge on the submarine captain who massacred his men after their ship was torpedoed.
It's a fictitious story of war action, war crimes, obsession and revenge in the closing days of World War II.
There were 10 more U-boats sunk in the Caribbean, including four off the coast or near to Venezuela – two each in 1942 and 1943.So, while the story for this film is fictitious, events like it were possible during the war.
Peter O'Toole is Murphy, a British seaman whose rank we never learn.
Horst Janson is the German U-boat commander, Lauchs.The time of the film is late in 1945.
Besides his fury over the inhumane slaughter of his defenseless shipmates, Murphy might have thought that with war's end his German enemies would not likely receive justice and be tried for war crimes because they and their deed would go unknown.
When Dr. Hayden hears the news on the radio that the war in Europe has ended, she hurries to tell Murphy.
He pretends not to hear Dr. Hayden, and heads off instead with the dredge to sink the U-boat.The ending of the film is perfect.