Morituri (1965)

Set during during WWII, a German (Marlon Brando) living in India is blackmailed by a British Colonel (Trevor Howard) into going undercover on a German freighter carrying rubber from Japan and sabotaging it. Based on the novel by Werner Jorg Luddecke and directed by Bernhard Wicki (THE VISIT). Poorly received by critics and movie audiences during its initial release, the film has acquired a small but growing cult. While the movie seems weighted down by its overly convoluted narrative, it's a pleasure to watch Brando giving a sly and restrained performance, at turns both intense and playful. The role doesn't tax him as an actor, certainly not with his wealth of acting talent but unlike some of his later performances where he's clearly not interested in the role outside of its paycheck, here he invests the part with strength and integrity. I felt sorry for his co-star Yul Brynner who doesn't stand a chance in their scenes together. As for the film itself, director Wicki manages to keep the suspense at a peak level. Conrad Hall's stark B&W cinematography received an Oscar nomination. With Janet Margolin, the only female in the cast whose character gets the worst of it. Also with Wally Cox, William Redfield, Hans Christian Blech and Martin Benrath.