Morituri
A German living in India during World War II is blackmailed by the English to impersonate an SS officer on board a cargo ship leaving Japan for Germany carrying a large supply of rubber for tyres. His mission is to disable the scuttling charges so the captain cannot sink the ship if they are stopped by English warships.
Critics Sentiment
Mueller discovers his son sank an Allied hospital ship
Crain begins secretly disabling the ship's scuttling charges
The film jumps from the slow sabotage sequences to the powerful hospital ship revelation, with Mueller's moral awakening representing the emotional peak.
Morituri receives mixed but generally positive reception, with critics consistently praising the lead performances by Brando and especially Brynner while finding the early sabotage sequences slow and unconvincing. The film gains momentum through its middle section with strong character development and moral complexity, peaking with Mueller's devastating realization about his son, before concluding with a tragic but dramatically satisfying finale.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 36
Marlon Brando
Robert Crain
Yul Brynner
Captain Müller
Janet Margolin
Esther
Trevor Howard
Colonel Statter
Martin Benrath
Kruse
Hans Christian Blech
Donkeyman
Wally Cox
Dr. Ambach
Max Haufler
Branner
Rainer Penkert
Milkereit
William Redfield
Baldwin
Oscar Beregi Jr.
Admiral (as Oscar Beregi)
Martin Brandt
Nissen
Charles De Vries
Kurz
Carl Esmond
Busch
Martin Kosleck
Wilke
Norbert Schiller
Steward
Rick Traeger
Schultz
Ivan Triesault
Lt. Brandt
Robert Sorrells
Koeniger
Eric Braeden
Radio Officer (uncredited)
Crew
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