8. The Caine Mutiny
1954's The Caine Mutiny, based on Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, tells the story of a mutiny on board a US Naval ship, which comes about due to the captain of the ship, Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), showing signs of mental instability. After Queeg makes a questionable decision in the middle of a typhoon, Lt. Steve Meryk (Van Johnson) relieves him with the aid of Ens. Willie Keith (Robert Francis). Meryk and Keith are then put on trial for mutiny, while Lt. Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray), who originally suggested the idea of Queeg being mentally ill, denies complicity. The film provides a fascinating ethical debate about the necessity of a mutiny and whether these men were entitled to relieve Queeg of his command. They are not experts on mental illness so they may not have been in the position to determine whether Queeg was unable to keep his command of the ship. Bogart, in one of three Oscar nominated performances, makes Queeg both an intimidating but also sympathetic figure, a once great man who is losing his mind. An incident with Queeg being obsessive over missing strawberries on the ship, when brought up in front of Queeg at court, provides the defense all it needs to save Meryk and Keith. What I find interesting about the film is that we see all the events leading up to the trial, whereas many courtroom dramas begin after the crime or supposed crime has been committed. We're allowed to see what the other characters see, being asked if we share the same feelings as the crew.