Breaker Morant
February 2008 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

In the 19th century, Britain was still flexing its Imperial muscles, and despite repeated efforts to claim dominion over southern Africa, the British were opposed by two independent nations of Boers -- descendants of Dutch farmers who had moved away from the coasts specifically to avoid further British entanglements.

The discovery of gold in the area in late 1890s made Britain even more determined to annex the territories, leading to the Second Boer War. That determination led to many questionable decisions, including the sanction of extreme measures to fight the native guerrilla forces. It was in that atmosphere that a court martial was convened to try three Australian soldiers for murder -- George Witton, Peter Handcock and Harry "Breaker" Morant.

Breaker Morant is ostensibly a war film, but is actually more of a courtroom drama. The film begins as the case is opened and, via flashback, we learn the circumstances that led to that action. The three men are accused of murdering a Boer prisoner, as well as the subsequent murders of six more prisoners. Morant and Handcock are further accused of the assassination of a German missionary.

The film, tautly directed by Bruce Beresford, walks a fine line when drawing the audience's sympathies: Morant and his men are certainly not innocent of the charges they face, but the court is quite blatantly biased against them; their defense counsel has never tried a case before, was given only one day to prepare, and the chief of the court is under orders from Lord Kitchener to deliver a guilty verdict.

Edward Woodward plays Morant and is a standout among a very strong cast. The script is strong, and Beresford directed his actors quite ably, delivering an excellent film all around.

The packaging claims that this disc is made from a "new high-definition transfer," but not having seen any previous release, I can't say if this disc is an improvement. That said, the image quality is generally free from grain, though there is some edge enhancement evident in the early scenes. Colors are often muted, but in a way that suggests it was intentional -- it changes by scene, and some are quite vibrant.

The majority of the film is dialogue-driven, and the soundtrack handles it well. Of course, things get lively during the battle scenes and the flashbacks, and the entire movie kicks off with a big brass band, so don't expect too much quiet.

The extras are very light. There's a 40-minute documentary about the Boer War, which is good for those of us who suffered an American education and thus have barely heard of the conflict. Instead of trailers, we get a quaint throwback in the form of the original 30-second radio spot.

Breaker Morant is a war film that isn't really about war. Rather, it's about war's effect on those involved in it. It's not about good guys and bad guys, or "us" and "them," but simply about actions -- both legal and illegal -- and the fact that it's not always easy to determine which is which.

Image Entertainment has also made the film available in a Blu-ray Disc edition.

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