# The Desert Rats (1953)

> An outnumbered Australian-led garrison wages a resourceful desert defense against Rommel during the siege of Tobruk.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/22682

## Facts

- Runtime: 88 min
- Genres: War, Action
- Director: Robert Wise
- Cast: Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton, Robert Douglas, Torin Thatcher, Chips Rafferty, Charles Tingwell, Charles Davis
- TMDB rating: 6.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045679/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: serious, tense, patriotic, classic war film night, military history viewing

## Synopsis

A small band of Australian soldiers stands resolute against the might of Rommel's forces in the North African desert.

## Movies like The Desert Rats

- [Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)](https://ember.film/movie/4190)
- [Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (2019)](https://ember.film/movie/351163)
- [Five Graves to Cairo (1943)](https://ember.film/movie/41374)
- [Objective, Burma! (1945)](https://ember.film/movie/28340)
- [Khartoum (1966)](https://ember.film/movie/18351)
- [Zulu (1964)](https://ember.film/movie/8528)
- [Shams El Zanaty (1991)](https://ember.film/movie/209870)
- [Hell Is for Heroes (1962)](https://ember.film/movie/20104)
- [The Guns of Navarone (1961)](https://ember.film/movie/5955)
- [The Hill (1965)](https://ember.film/movie/14409)

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