They crawled their way across the blazing sands of Africa... to turn disaster into victory!
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.
The Desert Rats (1953) is a war and action film directed by Robert Wise, released on March 26, 1953 with a runtime of 1h 28m. It stars Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton and Robert Douglas. Viewers rate it 6.3 out of 10 across 101 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Desert Rats before you stream it.
Richard Burton
as Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
James Mason
as Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel
Robert Newton
as Tom Bartlett
Robert Douglas
as General
Torin Thatcher
as Col. Barney White
Chips Rafferty
as Sgt. "Blue" Smith
Charles Tingwell
as Lt. Harry Carstairs
Charles Davis
as Pete
Ben Wright
as Mick
Patrick Aherne
as English Officer (uncredited)
John Alderson
as Corporal (uncredited)
Frank Baker
as British Officer (uncredited)
Directed by Robert Wise, written by Richard Murphy, produced by Robert L. Jacks.
Average viewer score of 6.3/10 from 101 ratings.
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 readdress the balance after The…
Reviewed on April 16, 2014
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 "Lt. Carstairs"…
Reviewed on August 3, 2024
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, making it an…
Reviewed on January 2, 2025
1971
1965
1961
1965
1970
2015
2000
2020
1958
2020
1981
1969
2016
1962
2014
1993
2017
2017
1966
1962
1977
Movie
1946
1940
1962
2001
1987
2003
1981
1970
2000
1983
1967
1995
1997
2019
2008
2006
2006
1982
The Desert Rats (1953) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Desert Rats (1953) includes Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas and Torin Thatcher. The film was directed by Robert Wise. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Desert Rats was released on March 26, 1953 and runs for 1h 28m.
The Desert Rats (1953) holds an average rating of 6.3 out of 10 from 101 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy war and action films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Desert Rats trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
