Anything starring Humphrey Bogart is worth a peek, but this rather dourly scripted adaptation of Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel veers spectacularly between the best high drama and plodding, explanatory narrative. Playing against type, Bogart was Oscar nominated as the snivelling Captain Queeg whose obsessive martinet ways soon have his crew concerned for his mental stability - Queeg's pursuit of the contents of a tin of strawberries is just one of his unswerving fixations. A sterling cast (José Ferrer, Fred MacMurray, Van Johnson et al) brings the court-martial scenes vividly to life, but it's Bogie who dominates the film, even when he's not on screen.

When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.