wdevallette if you look closely and are somewhat familiar with the silhouette of a WW II German submarine you will notice the wrong conning tower. This conning tower is of a RN submarine to which an aft gun platform has been added. In jargon the German sailors called it "Wintergarden". To make this sub more closely resemble a U-boat, the bow net saw was added. In all it's not a bad movie, especially with Peter O'Toole as the main character. I like the way have cast the German Kapitaen Leutnant as the sub's captain. As in reality, those sub captains were all quite young, most in their early or mid twenties. As the crews were even younger, the captain was called DER ALTE.

Neil Welch 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. Ending up on the remote Brazilian coast while the U-Boat undertakes repairs up-river, Murphy decides to refurbish a derelict seaplane in order to bomb and sink the U-Boat. 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. His support, all excellent, comprise then-wife Sian Phillips as a doctor servicing the local tribe, Philippe Noiret as a stranded engineer, and Horst Janson as the U-Boat commander. 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. It is a worthwhile film but I was far from sure whether I had actually enjoyed it.

poc-1 This movie should be compulsory viewing for all those who sigh and say that it is an unfortunate necessity to kill a few civilians during war. This is the simple story of Murphy, merchant seaman sole survivor of a U boat attack on his ship. His mission: to wreak revenge on the sub and all its crew. The utter folly of a single man attacking a fully armed military vessel is as nothing to Murphy's determination. This is not calculated retribution as a dish served cold, this is hot-blooded, crazy mad-as-hell-not-going-to-take-it-anymore bloody vengeance.There are tremendous scenes. Murphy fixing up a seaplane. Murphy teaching himself to fly said seaplane by climbing in and giving it some gas. Murphy driving a tugboat as his own personal dreadnought. The final scene is a masterpiece, which does not dwell on its simple message. 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. The German sub is actually a British one repainted, and the Germans are painted just a little too murderous. It would have been better to portray them as normal soldiers, who killed a few non-combatants unintentionally. So next time you hear someone say a few civilians accidentally killed in Iraq, Afghanistan is "collateral damage", tell them to watch this movie.

nosirrahg I first saw this film in the mid-to-late 1970's when it aired on television. Before the VCR made movies readily available, my older brother and I always made a point to catch this movie whenever it aired - such a great combination of scenery, machinery, revenge; all with very realistic acting, sets, and dialog. Everything in this film has a great patina to it. 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! There's one scene in the movie involving a machine shop, a Victrola, and a big band-era song played over and over. A few years ago I became obsessed with trying to find a copy of this song (which I learned was titled "My Hat's on the Side of my Head"). I managed to find a copy, and actually enjoy playing it over and over when I'm out in my garage working on my car, lawn mower, etc. Having grown up on a farm doing repairs on equipment for years, I have to say this may be the only film I can think of that has any memorable scenes dealing with mechanic-type work.