Peter O’Toole brings to mind TE Lawrence in his portrayal of William Conrad’s 19th-century sailor. He is dismissed from the Navy due to cowardice after having to leave some Muslim pilgrims during a storm at sea. Later, when he prevents some would-be maritime saboteurs from succeeding, he joins forces with trader "Stein" (Paul Lukas) and begins a journey upriver to assist local people who are being held as slaves by the "General" (Eli Wallach) and his inebriated, fearful companion "Cornelius" (Curd Jürgens). There are several conflicts before “Jim” becomes even more involved with the schemes of James Mason’s "Brown," who is searching for gold. At its core, this film—like the novel it's based on—deals with a character seeking to make amends. “Jim” consistently feels remorseful about his earlier, impulsive decisions and will do whatever it takes to prove he isn’t a coward. Richard Brooks maintains a brisk pace throughout, giving considerable thought to the main points (though not always every detail) of the book. The story unfolds in episodes, which lets the other characters—including Jack Hawkins' "Marlow"—have their moments for twenty or so minutes before the plot shifts to something else, and it’s seldom boring as a result. The film has impressive production values, and O’Toole, Wallach, and particularly Jürgens are all performing well. I found this enjoyable.

Source on TMDB