--- title: "The Caine Mutiny: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Caine Mutiny (1954): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics recommend The Caine Mutiny, and almost all for the same reason: Bogart’s Captain Queeg. Playing against type as a craven, paranoid commander coming apart, he is described across the reviews as the film’s centre, and several find the character tragic rather than villainous by the time the court-martial arrives. The trial scenes draw the next most consistent praise, along with the adaptation’s success in keeping the shape and sense of the novel. One review singles out the Technicolor photography of the shipboard sequences. The reservations are about pace and direction. Two reviews call Dmytryk’s handling stodgy, one finds the storytelling standard old-fashioned fare lifted by its cast, another thinks the final section muddled, and one admits a rough start. The spread is narrow, with most landing in the same band; the lone dissent is Time Out, which finds the strong cast never given room and Bogart’s charisma dimmed by how tired he looks. ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1953. The film is a highly recommendable motion picture drama that retains the essence of the novel in its intelligent adaptation. It delivers high action, drama, and striking shipboard sequences building to the court-martial. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/the-caine-mutiny-1200417617/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 4/5. The critic hails a first-rate drama whose compelling courtroom scenes are anchored by Bogart’s mighty performance against type as the craven, paranoiac Captain Queeg, a role that still arouses sympathy and earned the star an Oscar nomination. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xbamoe/the-caine-mutiny/) ## The AV Club — Danny Bowes Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 January 2016. The critic finds the film an engrossing, thought-provoking work after a mildly rough start. They single out the splendid Technicolor cinematography and Bogart's powerful performance playing against type as the unraveling Captain Queeg. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/if-you-can-t-rely-on-humphrey-bogart-who-s-left-1798243633) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film remains a gripping drama thanks to its cast, despite being somewhat stodgily directed. Bogart's performance as the unstable Captain Queeg stands out as the highlight, turning the character into a tragic figure in the courtroom scenes. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/caine-mutiny-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2007. The critic calls the film solid but standard old-fashioned storytelling with a psychological twist, praising its excellent performances that elevate it above the ordinary, especially Bogart's layered work and the trial scene. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-caine-mutiny-dvd/) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 1954. As Navy pictures go, “The Caine Mutiny” isn’t bad and runs smoothly for the most part with sufficient hilarity and derring-do. Bogart does well as the twisted Captain Queeg, and the supporting performances by Van Johnson and others are admirable. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1954/07/03/1954-07-03-048-tny-cards-000048417) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 1954. The adaptation of the novel achieves clarity and vigor overall in depicting tensions among the officers and crew of a Navy destroyer-minesweeper. It is a vibrant film with strong performances, though somewhat garbled in its final section. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/25/archives/the-screen-caine-mutiny-arrives-vibrant-depiction-of-novel-is-at.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic calls this the best of Dmytryk’s films for producer Stanley Kramer but finds it a stodgily liberal courtroom drama in which the strong cast is never allowed full rein and Bogart’s charisma is visibly weakened by his tired appearance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-caine-mutiny) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny.md