While I don't have any problem with the casting of Borgnine, I'm trying to think of another known actor of that time who might have played the part well . . . someone with that gruff, unsophisticated look. Eli Wallach would likely have done a credible job. Anthony Quinn would have been good. Lee Marvin? Peter Falk? All would have been decent choices, but I can't say with any certainty that they would have done it better than Borgnine . . . well, maybe Quinn.

Yes, but Borgnine was an old-time Hollywood actor, somewhat strident, he was right for
Flight Of the Phoenix
. His character's anxieties over becoming unemployable due to his mental condition were justifiable (at the time), while the French doctor, kindly and empathetic didn't really tell him the truth. Trucker Cobb's career may well have been ruined on account of his mental breakdown, exasperated by the plane crash and the trauma that followed. Borgnine's performance was one particular to play the character of Trucker Cobb, but I don't think he was wrong in the what he played Cobb, maybe a little too telegraphed, but hey, it's a movie.

[No, he overdid it.]
Well, you know, when it comes right down to it, it's a matter of opinion.
You didn't care for his performance, and that's certainly valid. That doesn't take away from the fact that I did like it, and thought he did a great job, as is typical with Ernest Borgnine.

Borgnine is a great screen presence. I think he added alot of verve and appropriate hysteria in his role.
No, he overdid it. Cobb is obviously mentally deficient; what does Borgnine do? He plays Cobb like an obnoxious, insufferable child in a man's body. And this he doesn't even do particularly well.
Do you think that if you were stranded in the middle of the Sahara you would act as calm as usual?!
Yes, I'd probably be too exhausted to throw a fit.

Borgnine is a great screen presence. I think he added alot of verve and appropriate hysteria in his role.
Do you think that if you were stranded in the middle of the Sahara you would act as calm as usual?!

Borgnine overacting is exactly what I thought when I watched this for the first time.
Every scene he appears in had me in doubt that there was, is or ever will be a human being like him walking this planet. Cobb may be crazy, but acting like a child in a grown man's body is kind of a cheap way to portray insanity especially in such an exaggerated fashion. I'd have enjoyed the character a lot more if Borgnine had played him more subtle.
To me the character of Cobb has always stood out in a bad way, so being the first "to leave the stage" seemed to work for the film.

Thank you! I was about to say the same thing. There are not many actors today who can convey a wide range of emotions, all in one scene, without even saying a line. Borgnine in that scene accomplished that. His face went through a variety of emotions. He has had a long career, Mr. Borgnine. I think he is STILL doing commercials. Obviously people see something in him. And, no disrespect intended, it is obviously not his looks or his body. That, unlike Mr. Tom Cruise, who ONLY seems to have physical appearance and little else, like a lot of pretty boys in Hollywood today. But, I digress. I think Ernest Borgnine did a fine job in that movie, as he generally does.

I also really enjoy his performance in this film.
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I'm one of those people who feel that Ernest Borgnine is a national treasure, and, tonyhu, that was a really nice example of the talent he brought to the part of Trucker Cobb. I think he's wonderful in this movie, which is one of my all time favorites.

I
sort of
agree with you. But there again, there are people in life who are a little bit 'over the top' sometimes, and when you see them you think 'if this were a film, people would think you were a really bad actor!'
One of my favourite scenes in this movie is when Borgnine's character is listening to his little radio and an Italian love song comes on; Jimmy Stewart notices that the injured man is responding to it - he gently takes it from Borgnine and gives it to the injured man, who thanks him, and then he and Borgnine exchange smiles. It is a beautiful scene (the kind you would never get today unfortunately) and I personally think Ernest B. plays it very well. In a few moments he conveys confusion, sympathy, generosity and then the pleasure of friendship - all without saying a word.

"Maybe I should go alone"

• Quint, Jaws.

I cannot think of a Borgnine movie in which he did not go over the top (and that includes his Oscar for "Marty"). I believe him to be one of the biggest hams ever to populate movies.

I think he acted brilliantly
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