The opinions on Sgt. Watson tend to run along two camps: 1)pro-military: if you are ordered to do something, you are not allowed to use your own reason to determine a good order from a crazy order. Therefore he is a coward at best, and treasonous at worst. 2)libertarian: you live for your own sake and no one else's. It is perfectly ok to refuse an unreasonable request that would jeopardize your well being. He recognizes reality for what it is, and give allegiance to it.
There are many very good comments that delve into the psyche of the character, but broken down into its simplest components, this is how the man is perceived by those who watched the movie.
Because Watson was forced into an occupation not of his own choosing, and cannot just quit when he feels like it, he is in an untenable situation for refusing a direct order and he knows it. Therefore, it takes more courage to stand up to authoritarian figures and suffer the consequences for so doing.
The fact that he is proven correct and gloats over the demise of Capt. Harris does not diminish these points, but shows where the attitude of the writer lies vs. camp one or two.
Democracy is the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H.L. Mencken

I think some of the posters here are being a little too hard on Captain Harris. Sure, he was a bossy know-it-all, but that's what most militaries back then trained their officers to be. At least he did what he thought was best to get them all out of there (not just himself.) Remember, at that point neither he, Towns, Lou, or the Doctor really thought that the Phoenix was actually going to get off the ground. (Only Dorfmann knew that for sure.) Harris knew how dangerous it was to leave the plane, yet he did it twice, because in his mind there was no realistic alternative. A pretty brave man if you ask me.
On the other hand, Watson comes across as a bit of a slimeball. It's not that he refused to go on Harris' suicide missions. ( Hell, I don't blame him; I wouldn't have gone either.) But he first fakes an injury to get out of going, then leaves the Captain outside all night to die, and finally, when the Bedouins kill Harris (and the Doctor), he gloats about it. What a douche. No wonder Towns punched him.

I have watched this movie many times over the years. I agree that one of the reasons it is such a great movie is that the characters are extremely complex and the usual action movie cliches are avoided. I have always detested the character of Captain Harris. He is arrogant and not entirely sane. I also agree with a previous poster who observed that the sergeant knows this very well and has probably observed his craziness in the past. If Sgt Watson had followed this nut case's commands, he would have likely died in the desert like the Captain's first companion did. If he had somehow made it back to camp, on the second hair-brained excursion he would have gotten his throat slit. You go, Sgt. Watson! Hope the flight of the Phoenix was also a flight to a better life for him.

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The hapless squaddie and the elitist 'death or glory' captain.I'm not sure either of their characters are as well drawn in the film as they are in the book. I would even say the film is slightly two-dimensional in using cliched characterisations - you could say the same about making the designer German.Well I suppose he must be because he's good at mechanical things and all Germans are, right ? It's all a bit lazy. For me, the more interesting characterisations are Towns and Moran. Both of them are at war with their own demons as much as with anything else and the claustrophobic nature of the group of survivors (in contrast with the wide-open spaces of the desert) only serves to exacerbate their problems.Having a leading man who is so flawed is a brave move and much as I like the other characters,Stewart is the one who steals the show.

Coming back to this thread after four years, (just seen it again). I see yet more aspects to this character, an underdog with a chip on his shoulder, class conscious. His father coerced him into the army and through transference he sees Finch's character as his father. And to cap it all you can see a hurt little boy in this character as well. This is one masterful piece of acting that he should have had more recognition for.

The varying reports in this thread show how good a job the movie did on this character. I think the movie was just good all the way around [i/quote]
Absolutely right. And Ronald Frasr's performance also deserves mention. Must have been a difficult character to play. He manages to convey all the things that have been identified here: the fear, resentment, shame, etc.

"Maybe I should go alone"

• Quint, Jaws.

I just finished watching this film for the first time. Great film. But I thought that Watson's reaction to Harris's death was more of a "I knew that would happen".
I mean, what is he supposed to do? Feel sad when he himself would've had his throat slit as well?
One thing that irritated me about Harris more than anything else was during the very beginning on the plane, when he made Watson stow away his handbag to the cargo area - a handbag that was smaller than most women's purses - yet there was a dude playing a guitar. Shouldn't that, by Harris's standards, have been stowed in cargo as well (even though the guitar guy wasn't a soldier)?
How do you like that piece of satire?

I agree. Sgt. Watson's look was one of utter contempt, even disgust, at having received praise from someone he clearly despised (Capt. Harris). Perhaps Watson may have seen Harris's comment as sincere, which would have only further infuriated Watson's hatred towards Harris even more, since, to have accepted and acknowledged Harris's benevolence would have necessitated Watson to back off from his feelings about Harris to some degree, compelling him to modify his already deeply felt hatred that was already so ingrained within him. There was no indication in Watson's expression, that I could read, as appreciativeness or gratefulness for having his efforts recognized by Harris - in fact, quite the opposite.
Watson was aware that Harris had seen him lying at the edge of the camp and had simply left him there to die. That Harris never reported Watson's refusing him assistance (which might even be viewed as attempted murder), would only further have antagonized Watson, Harris showing the kind of strength of character that Watson was incapable of emulating (and, ironically, similar to the kind of strength of purpose Dorfman displayed that Towns had found so exasperating and antagonizing).
This has to be one of my TOP 10 favorite films (just had to get that in!).

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Watson clearly didn't like Harris. But I noticed, when Harris praised him ("Well done!") for work he had done on the plane, Watson seemed very touched by the comment. I expect, having grown up in the Army, Watson had come to look on his Captain as a father-figure. But like many 'sons,' he had a love/hate relationship with his surrogate Dad. While one son might openly challenge his father for supremacy, Watson was presented with the unigue opportunity to simply do nothing and see Harris die from his own suicidal nature. It seems the balance was tipped in favor of his hatred. I can't say I liked Watson, but I can appreciate the predicament he was in. His failure to act to save Harris transcended his duty as a soldier and spoke of a fundamental deficiency in his character as a human being. Harris may have acted out of what he (Harris) viewed as nobility and honor, but the bottom line is, he had not correctly assessed the situation he and those he had assumed responsibility for were in, and so in fact was abusing his authority. I felt sympathy for Watson, but little for Harris. ("Who is more foolish? The fool, or the fool that follows it?" -Ben Kenobi)

The varying reports in this thread show how good a job the movie did on this character. I think the movie was just good all the way around. It was disappointing to see huge stars like Borgnine, Duryea, and Kennedy doing what amounted to little more than cameos. I know Borgnine got a high billing, but his role was pretty small, though he and the others all did splendidly.
But as for Watson. I agree, he was a coward by definition. Of course a coward may also be considered a survivor. I liked the way the movie let him survive, because in real life a coward will survive more often than the Peter Finch character, bless his foolhardy or brave soul (depending on how you look at it).
Of course, as some people already stated, Finch led men to their deaths.
This brings up another point. Since Finch had two tragic excursions, and seemed to have a degree of destruction as far as his followers were concerned, it seems that Watson observed this in the past. Who knows how many people he saw Finch get killed or maimed before. I'm not sure we're supposed to read this into the story, but I'm not sure we're not supposed to read it ito the story, either.
Watson's character was much more explored than the others, even the leads. He was like a little villain, if the movie had one. Was he a survivor? Or a coward? I would say both.
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time

I agree to the point that Watson acted the way he di to save his own life, and that he showed common sense in doing so. I found very good postings on this one here, thanks, folks!
But WHY did he try to hide the return of Capt. Harris? He obviously meant to leave him dying in the desert, only few footsteps away from rescue. Was he afraid that Towns would report the fake-accident to his capitain?
And I did not like his obvious joy on finding out that Harris was murdered by the raiders. "Harris is dead, isn't he? beam" - He is the most ambivalent character, I would have been interested inhis future life as well.
PS: sorry for mistakes, English is not my native language.

The very fact that there can be such complete and honest disagreement over this complex character shows just how good the writing, acting, and direction of this remarkable film is.

I don't think he was a coward.
He might have been in violation of the military orderbut not common sense.
Harris was on a fool's errand and Watson knew it. It wasn't like they were in battle, and they had to take an objective. It was Harris embarking on a mission that everyone knew was doomed to fail.
And, Harris seemed to automatically assume that Watson would go. As that was not part of normal duties, and carried an inordinate amount of risk, I would have thought that Harris would have asked Watson if he would volunteer -pointing out that was above the normal call of duty, and thus he couldn't order him to do so.
I don't think Watson was a coward. He had served in the Army for something like thirty years by that time. (The first time, his father volunteered him. However, after that enlistment expired, he was there by his own volition.). But, it's one thing to take a soldier's normal risks in the line of duty. That, I'm certain, he would have been willing to do. It's another to throw your life away on a fool's errand by an officer who simply can't see the fact his plan is suicide. Towns even tried to warn Harris that his plan hadn't a chance of succeeding.
I don't think Watson was a coward. I think he just refused to throw his life away for nothing.

Possibly he left his captain downbut not himself. Sgt. Watson knew his captain was crazy and most certainly would die trying to walk a ridiculous amount of miles to a civilized station in blazing hot desert conditions. As I recall this was explained to him by Capt. Towns, but being British and "good show" and all thathe was determined to do it. Sgt. Watson was the more human if not humane, of the two.

Yeah! Well said. Hooray for Sergeant Watson!
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Watson was a victim- sold into military servitude by his parents, when he was only a boy. It took remarkable courage to do what he did, to stand up to an all-powerful, corrupt system and become his own man. Crashing in the desert was probably his best stroke of luck. Harris' death illustrates that when nature, or fate, or God, or whatever you want to call it intervenes, the system we all seem compelled to trust in fails, and cost Harris his life and those of two others as well. Watson, more than anyone, deserved to survive, because life, up until then, had never given him any choices. He was indeed a victim, until he had the courage to break the cycle of servitude. His story, following the end of this show, would be by far the most interesting. Would he, for example, if he chose, be able to escape the military trap his parents had condemned him to, or would he simply be imprisoned in a stockade for failing to be the slave his "superiors" wanted him to be? I like to think he got out of the army and began to experience life as a free man. The contempt the others- like Towns and Moran- showed him for his actions, reveal the narrowness of their thinking, when they themselves were unhappy about their own treatment at the hands of Arabco Oil.

Possibly he let his CO downbut not himself. His CO was quite mad to try to traverse the hostile desert under those demanding conditions. And even more insane to ask another man to go to certain death also. This had nothing to do with any war time campaign. Under these conditions the hierarchical rules of the military should be suspended. Anyone who has the capability to think for himself would have had a problem with this, I think.
"The Pope gave a dispensation to allow the king to marry his brother's widow. Now we must ask the Pope to dispense with his dispensationagain for state reasons"? "I don't like plodding, Thomas. Well?" "Clearly then, all we have to do is to approach His Holiness and ask Him."

I agree completely. Watson is the character that I identify with the most, although we're supposed to be sickened by his "cowardice." I wouldn't want to trail along after Harris on his bonehead suicide missions either.
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Sgt. Watson was the coward, but only until he stands up to his his officer. It is obviously implied that he feels that his position is humiliating, like when Captain Harris tells him to be a good chap and clean his gun. Pretending to sprain his ankle is a cowardly move because he is sidestepping his real problem, which is his obsequious position in relation to Captain Harris. When he tells Captain Harris that he will not join him, he is finally facing his problem, and the line "I am not afraid." is the coup de grace. I almost feel that he earned a spot on the airplane, not just for his work on it, but for his ability to face his fear. The book really elaborates on this complex character, and really gets inside his motives. Read the book if you get the chance; the philosophies are very insightful. Good comment for discussion.

Capt Harris gave his life so that the others may not have ben spotted by the raiders.
Wrong. He was killed by the arab caravan when he approached and asked them for help. If he hadn't gone noone would have been killed because the arabs would never have spotted the wreckage and the survivors. This is what Capt. Towns realized in the scene where he shoots the camel.
I don't think Sgt. Watson is a coward, but I do think that he is a pretty low human being and comrade as seen in his reaction to the news of Capt. Harris' death.

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