Death of a Soldier

As suspenseful and though-provoking as BREAKER MORANT, this film is based on a true incident in WWII Australia. The focus is on the miscarriage of justice in the trial of a U.S. Soldier held for the strangulation murders of three women. Relations between the U.S. troops in Australia and their hosts are strained to the breaking point when Gen. MacArthur chooses to have the suspect court-martialed, resulting in certain execution, that would have been avoided had he been tried by the local authorities, since they had no death penalty. James Coburn is the sophisticated major who defends the soldier, bringing into question the very values that Americas was defending in the war. Memorable performances highlight the tragic and shocking tale.