Gift Horse

World War II drama commencing in Nova Scotia, 1940. Fraser (Trevor Howard), a court-martialled lieutenant-colonel is recruited to captain the ‘Ballantrae’, a decrepit, ageing US destroyer loaned made to Britain under the lend-lease agreement. He makes enemies of the crew for his iron discipline and apparent incompetence, and he is on the way to his second court-martial when, after improved performance, the ‘Ballantrae’ is chosen to spearhead a dangerous raid on the German-occupied French port of St Nazaire. —Britmovie.co.uk