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MURPHY'S WAR 

Label: Arrow Video.

Physical Media Release Date: 01/30/24

Form of Release: Blu-ray Limited Edition.

SYNOPSIS:

A lone survivor from a British naval ship is obsessed with getting revenge on the German U-boat crew that massacred his shipmates

WORLD WAR TWO IS ENDING, WORLD WAR MURPHY HAS JUST BEGUN...

Iconic actor Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia, The Stunt Man) joins forces with director Peter Yates (Bullit, The Friends of Eddie Coyle) in this blisteringly acerbic, wildly entertaining film about the absurdity of war.

During the last days of WWII, the merchant ship 'Mount Kyle' is sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Venezuela and the sailors machine-gunned in the water. Only Murphy (O'Toole) survives, making his way to shore where he is nursed to health by Dr. Hayden (Sian Phillips), a pacifist Quaker who runs a missionary settlement near the mouth of the Orinoco River. When Murphy discovers that the U-boat is now hiding further up the river using the jungle for cover, he becomes obsessed with retribution and begins a one man war to sink the German U-boat, no matter the cost.

With a script by Stirling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night, The Poseidon Adventure), cinematography by the legendary Douglas Slocombe (The Italian Job, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and a supporting cast that includes Philippe Noiret (La Grande Bouffe, Cinema Paradiso) and Horst Janson (Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, Shout at the Devil), Murphy's War is an underseen gem.

THE RT SCORES:

Murphy's War has the following scores: 

  • Audience Score: 78%

  • Critical Score: 91%

THE BONUS FEATURES:

  • Running Out of War, a new visual essay by film critic David Cairns

  • A Great Adventure, an archive interview with assistant director John Glen

  • Dougie, Chic and Me, an archive interview with focus puller Robin Vidgeon

  • One Man Army, an archive interview with film critic Sheldon Hall

  • Theatrical trailer

  • Image gallery

  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain

  • Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by film critic Philip Kemp

CAST AND CREW

  • Director: Peter Yates

  • Written by: Stirling Silliphant / Max Catto [Novel]

  • Produced by: Michael Deelay

  • Production Designer: Disley Jones

  • Director of Photography: Douglas Slocombe

  • Editor: John Glen / Frank P. Keller 

  • Cast: Peter O'Toole / Sian Phillips / Phillippe Noiret / Horst Janson 

Runtim

Approx. 107 minutes

MPAA

GP

Original Release Year 

1971

 

Video

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio 

English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles

English 

 

Discs

Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)

 

Digital

N/A

 

Packaging

Slipcover in original pressing
Reversible cover
Booklet

 

Playback

2K Blu-ray: Region A

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OUR VERDICT:

+ HIGH CRITICAL SCORE
+ LIGHT BONUS FEATURES

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