10 With Great Depth!
May 06 '02
The Bottom Line These films take the mystique of undersea warfare and add a healthy dollop of great actors to really send us off into the realm of suspended disbelief and total enjoyment.
1. Das Boot - The Director's Cut (1981)
This is in my humble opinion, THE greatest submarine film ever, and it is also one of the very best war films simultaneously. The only way to see this film is on DVD, in the Director's cut (209 minutes), and with the German sound-track playing along with your choice of subtitles. Dubbing just doesn't do it for me!Set in WW II, this film follows the crew of a German U-boat as they head out into the North Atlantic shipping lanes looking for targets of opportunity. The excellent camera-work and eerie sound effects really give us a sense of the cramped interior of an underwater vessel of this era. Jurgen Prochnow leads an all German cast.
2. The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Here, they took a Tom Clancy best-selling novel, and a powerhouse cast, to come up with a hugely entertaining action film set against the backdrop of US-USSR Cold War tensions.
Essentially, a Russian nuclear vessel captain (Sean Connery) decides to defect after some particularly shabby treatment from his homeland. The fun begins when the CIA sends in Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) to bring him in in one piece. There are several other fine actors who all give great performances - like James Earl Jones, Senator Fred Thompson, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill and Tim Curry. The acting is nailed down tight (like Connery's excellent hair-piece, which should have received a special effects award all of it's own!). This really should have been the sub action flick of all time, but it is marred by some dodgy blue-screen work, and some really murky underwater effects that just don't quite make sense, although I suppose the bulk of the budget was blown on the location shoots, the actual submarine sequences, hundreds of extras and stunt men, and the actors' salaries. Still, a great film and hugely entertaining.
3. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
At times it seems more like a spaceship, but I am certain (at least, in my own mind) that the crew of four scientists is in an advanced submarine-type craft, which is shrunken to microscopic size and injected into the bloodstream of a man who requires intricate surgery from the inside out.
Highlights? Brilliant special effects and scenery and, of course, Raquel Welch. What more need be said? Great action, right up to the very last scene.
4. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
This is one of Disney's best earlier feature films. This film packs wallop on several levels: it's based on a Jules Verne classic, Disney shelled out major bucks to make this film look as good as it does, and how can you go wrong if you've got both James Mason (Captain Nemo) and Kirk Douglas starring?. Nemo is apparently not happy with the state of global affairs, and has rather drastic solutions in mind. Kirk Douglas' character gets to try and thwart Nemo's nefarious plans.
5. Operation Petticoat (1959)
The original underwater comedy vehicle. tony Curtis and Cary Grant team up to tune-up a submarine, and get a crew of Navy women to yuk it up with. Classic comedy guaranteed to p*ss of the politically correct crowd. But that's their problem because they'll miss two fine actors being really funny.
6. Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Here we get Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable, Jack Warden, and Don Rickles getting all tense with each other, while they try to track and kill this particular Japanese destroyer.
7. Enemy Below (1957)
Again it's WW II, and again it's ship vs, ship in an aquatic duel, if you will. A German U-boat against an American destroyer in the South Atlantic. Who will get who, first? Curt Jurgens or Robert Mitchum?
8. The Abyss (1989)
Hmmmm....what have we here? No major war of any kind as the backdrop. Instead, this film is about man destroying the environment, the planet, himself. And luckily for us there is a kind race of aliens at the bottom of the ocean who will very nicely wipe us out with mile-high tidal waves , so that we can start over and work together to build a kinder,gentler world. Good thing for us that we have Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ed Harris to debate the issue with them on behalf of the entire planet!
Some truly jaw-dropping special effects on display in this film.
9. Above Us The Waves(1956)
John Mills stars in this film set in WW II Britain. The Royal Navy looks into the idea of using tiny midget subs to wreak havoc on the German fleet.
10. Down Periscope(1996)
Although critically skewered, and left a bleeding corpse by many reviewers, this film was actually quite a cute little comedy, about a bunch of Navy misfits doing the 'underdog rising to great heights in the face of adversity' thing. In a submarine. This film stars Kelsey Grammar, Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, Lauren Holly, Duane Martin, Harry Dean Stanton, Rob Schneider, and William H. Macy. It is kinda weak next to the other films on this list, but it does have quite a few funny moments.
Honorable Mention
Ice Station Zebra(1968)-Rock Hudson, Jim Brown.
Up Periscope(1959)-James Garner, Frank Gifford, Alan Hale Jr.
We Dive At Dawn(1943)-John Mills.
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britguy
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Member: Ken
Location: Yonkers,New York
Reviews written: 52
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About Me:
Raised in England
Living in America
Wife and 2 kids
Lab Technologist and Photographer
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