Breaker Morant - Major Thomas
...pre-determined due to his lack of experience. Later on we find out that it is true that the outcome was pre-determined however it is because of the corruptness within the British high command as opposed to Thomas’ lack of experience. On the first day of trial, Thomas drops papers, rustles through his papers in court and appears generally unprepared. However, as the trial proceeds, the viewer witnesses a transformation. Major Thomas quickly develops into an astute and persistent lawyer who is not deterred by Denny’s biased efforts to block his objections and questions. Thomas even takes the courageous step of calling Lord Kitchener to testify in the Court Martial. This is a decision that he well knows could be detrimental to his case, but he has realized that he is fighting a losing battle and is willing to explore all avenues to try and get the three men acquitted. Thomas even makes the effort to visit Kitchener after the sentence has been decided. He is outraged that such an injustice has been served and takes it upon himself to fight for fairness. Although Thomas may appear to use unorthodox tactics in his pursuit for justice, he never contravenes the rules and is not intimidated by the prosecution’s dishonesty and corruption. He is able to maintain his honesty and integrity at all times and shows courage in not allowing the British to smugly win the case without a fight. The three men on trial, observe and respect Thomas’ moral decency and chose not to tell him that Handcock shot the German missionary, Hesse. In his summing up speech, Thomas makes the comment that “when the rules and customs of war are departed from by one side, one must expect the same sort of behavior from the other.” In this statement, Thomas is careful in not approving or disapproving of the men’s actions but rather he takes a step back and shows the true harshness and realities of war. He does not say that he necessarily agrees with what the men are on trial for, but that “fear and anger, blood and death” change men’s natures. In this sense, he is able to maintain his integrity and not comment on whether he agrees with the killing of prisoners of war and innocent civilians. Unlike the British high command, Thomas understands what war is like as he “spent some months burning Boer farmhouses, destroying their crops, herding their women and children into stinking refugee camps.” This makes Thomas appear genuine in his defence of the three men on trial a...