Movie House
  • TV Series
  • People
  • About

© 2026 Movie House. All rights reserved.

mimcookthiii2532@gmail.com

Developed by MimCookThiee.

The Desert Rats

The Desert Rats

WarAction

6.3/10

|

US

|

en

|

88 min

Release Date: 1953-03-26

Overview - In North Africa, German Field Marshal Rommel and his troops have successfully fended off British forces, and now intend to take Tobruk, an important port city. A ramshackle group of Australian reinforcements sent to combat the Germans is put under the command of British Captain MacRoberts. The unruly Aussies immediately clash with MacRoberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect Tobruk from the German forces.

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

Overview - In North Africa, German Field Marshal Rommel and his troops have successfully fended off British forces, and now intend to take Tobruk, an important port city. A ramshackle group of Australian reinforcements sent to combat the Germans is put under the command of British Captain MacRoberts. The unruly Aussies immediately clash with MacRoberts, a gruff, strict disciplinarian, however this unorthodox team must band together to protect Tobruk from the German forces.

User Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

7/10

Come out of your holes you desert rats! The Desert Rats is directed by Robert Wise and written by Richard Murphy. It stars Richard Burton, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Chips Rafferty and James Mason. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Lucien Ballard. The follow up to The Desert Fox (it's not a sequel) from two years earlier, was in essence an attempt to readdre...

Read full review →
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

7/10

With Rommel (James Mason) bearing down heavily on the beleaguered allied garrison of Tobruk, it falls to "Capt. MacRoberts" (Richard Burton) to try and galvanise some war weary ANZAC troops for one last defence against the wily Desert Fox. He's not exactly puritanical, but he doesn's suffer disobedience and that sets him, initially, against his new troop when he over-reacts to behaviour from their...

Read full review →
Henry | The Reel Verdict

Henry | The Reel Verdict

8/10

Movie Review: The Desert Rats (1953) The Desert Rats (1953), directed by Robert Wise, is a war film that brings to life the courage and perseverance of soldiers during the defense of Tobruk in World War II. While the film offers a Hollywood take on this significant chapter of history, it balances its historical inaccuracies with strong performances, especially from Richard Burton and James Mason, ...

Read full review →

Similar

Operation Petticoat

Operation Petticoat

⭐ 7.2

The Hitcher

The Hitcher

⭐ 7.0

A Bullet for Rommel

A Bullet for Rommel

⭐ 5.4

Conquered City

Conquered City

⭐ 4.3

Kokoda

Kokoda

⭐ 6.2

Zoo

Zoo

⭐ 6.7

The Death Train

The Death Train

⭐ 8.0

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

⭐ 7.6

Until The Rooster Crows

Until The Rooster Crows

⭐ 8.0

Two Thousand Women

Two Thousand Women

⭐ 6.9

The Robbery of the Third Reich

The Robbery of the Third Reich

⭐ 5.8

The Battle of Neretva

The Battle of Neretva

⭐ 6.8

Olga

Olga

⭐ 7.1

VERDICT

VERDICT

⭐ 0.0

People with Wings

People with Wings

⭐ 5.0

SNAFU

SNAFU

⭐ 0.0

The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

⭐ 8.2

The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer

The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer

⭐ 8.4

Purple Butterfly

Purple Butterfly

⭐ 6.6

Murphy's War

Murphy's War

⭐ 6.1