The Caine Mutiny (film) - Plot

Plot

Callow, rich Ensign Willis Seward "Willie" Keith (Robert Francis) reports for duty aboard the Caine, his first assignment. Homeported in Pearl Harbor, he is disappointed to find the Caine to be a small, battle-scarred destroyer-minesweeper. Its gruff captain, Lieutenant Commander William H. DeVriess (Tom Tully), has almost completely discarded discipline, and the crew has become slovenly and superficially undisciplined – although their performance is, in fact, excellent. Keith has already met the executive officer, Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Van Johnson), and is introduced to the cynical communications officer, novelist Lieutenant Thomas Keefer (Fred MacMurray).

The captain is soon replaced by Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), a no-nonsense veteran and graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He quickly attempts to re-instill discipline into the crew.

The next day, the Caine is assigned to tow a target for gunnery practice. While Queeg is distracted berating Keith and Keefer over a crewman's appearance, he cuts off the helmsman's warning. After the Caine continues in a circle and cuts the towline, Queeg tries to cover up his responsibility.

Other incidents serve to undermine Queeg's authority. When strawberries go missing from the officers' mess, the captain goes to absurd lengths to hunt down the culprit. Despite being told by one of his officers that the mess boys had eaten them, Queeg insists on believing otherwise. He relates a story to Maryk and Keefer of when he, as an ensign, was commended for unmasking a cheese thief.

More seriously, under enemy fire, Queeg abandons escorting a group of landing craft during an amphibious assault long before they reach the fiercely defended shore, instead dropping a yellow dye marker in the water and leaving the landing craft to fend for themselves, much to the crew's disgust. Afterwards, Queeg speaks to his officers, not explicitly apologizing, but bending enough to ask for their support. His disgruntled subordinates do not respond.

Keefer begins trying to convince Maryk that he should relieve Queeg on the basis of mental illness under Article 184 of Navy Regulations. Maryk begins keeping a journal, documenting Queeg's behavior. Keefer then convinces Maryk and Keith to join him in presenting their case to Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr.. While aboard Halsey's flagship, it occurs to Keefer that all of Queeg's documented actions could be interpreted as reasonable attempts to instill discipline, leaving them open to a charge of conspiring to mutiny. When Halsey's aide tells the Caine officers that Halsey will see them, Keefer talks Maryk and Keith out of it.

Matters come to a head during a violent typhoon. Maryk urgently recommends that they steer into the waves and take on ballast, but Queeg refuses to deviate from the fleet-ordered heading and declines Maryk's request for ballast, as he fears that it would foul the fuel lines with salt water. When Queeg appears to become paralyzed, Maryk relieves him, with Keith's support.

Upon returning to port, Maryk and Keith face a court-martial for mutiny. After questioning them and Keefer, Lieutenant Barney Greenwald (José Ferrer) reluctantly accepts the job of Maryk's defense counsel, which a number of other lawyers have already turned down.

The proceedings do not go well, as the self-serving Keefer has carefully managed to cover himself and denies any complicity. Navy psychiatrist Dr. Dixon (Whit Bissell) testifies that Queeg is not mentally ill, but when Queeg is called to testify, he exhibits obvious paranoid behavior under Greenwald's tough cross-examination. Maryk is acquitted, and Keith is spared any charges.

The Caine officers celebrate the trial's results at a hotel. Keefer shows up, telling Maryk privately he did not have the guts not to. Then a drunken Greenwald appears and, clears his "guilty conscience". He berates the officers for not appreciating the years of danger and hardship endured by Queeg, a career navy man. He then lambastes Maryk, Keith, and finally Keefer, for not supporting their captain when he most needed it and gets Maryk and Keith to admit that if they had given Queeg the support he had asked for, he might not have frozen during the typhoon. Greenwald then turns to the man who, in his opinion, should really have been on trial: Keefer. He denounces him as the real "author" of the mutiny, who "hated the Navy" and manipulated the others while keeping his own hands officially clean. The lawyer exposes Keefer's double-dealing in front of the other officers, throws a glassful of champagne in his face and tells Keefer that if he wishes to do anything about the drink in the face, the two could fight outside. Keefer makes no challenge and the other officers depart, leaving Keefer alone in the room.

A few days later, Keith reports to his new ship and is surprised to find himself once again serving under now-Commander DeVriess. DeVriess lets the new lieutenant, junior grade know that he will start with a clean slate.