Billy is an innocent, naive seaman in the British Navy in 1797. When the ship's sadistic master-at-arms is murdered, Billy is accused and tried.
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🔍 Search on JustWatch →The film doesn't pretend to be about anything other than action — and that's an honest position. The director constructs scenes with a feel for space, pace, and rhythm.
If you love the genre — this is a solid specimen. If you're indifferent to action — there's nothing extraordinary here to convert you.
Good choice for group viewing when you want to watch rather than think.
Director: Peter Ustinov
— MovieFinder Editorial
Best Watched
Viewing atmosphere: Big screen, decent sound. This is cinema that should sound loud and fill the room.
Terence Stamp
Billy Budd
Robert Ryan
John Claggart, Master of Arms
Peter Ustinov
Edwin Fairfax Vere, Post Captain
Melvyn Douglas
The Dansker, Sailmaker
Paul Rogers
Philip Seymour, 1st Lieutenant
John Neville
Julian Ratcliffe, 2nd Lieutenant
David McCallum
Steven Wyatt, Gunnery Officer
Ronald Lewis
Enoch Jenkins, Maintopman
Lee Montague
Squeak, Mr. Claggart's assistant
Thomas Heathcote
Alan Payne, Maintopman
Audience Score
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