Almost every order given is questioned by the crew at every level. I am surprised they could function. Some of the "discussions" border on mutiny. With limited air supply in a sub, why is smoking allowed while underwater? The battle scenes look like toys in a bathtub. Good script and acting but strange delivery.

Nothing like watching an action packed Submarine movie on a Fall afternoon during football season. Normally I would watch my beloved G-Men, (The New York Football Giants) take on their NFL opponents but this year things are different. Arrogant uninformed NFL players are taking a different approach by refusing to stand for the National Anthem. They feel that their being profiled due to the color of their skin so kneeling or sitting is their defiant message to America. Legally they can do what they want. I am personally offended cause I was taught to stand in honor of our great Men And Woman who serve in our military. As for the movie our star is the elder Iconic Clark Gable who plays a Submarine commander P.J. Richardson who lost his ship earlier and wants revenge against his Japanese destroyer Captain nemesis Bungo Pete. Bungo Pete is responsible for the sinking of three U.S. Ships in the hazardous waters of the aforementioned. A frustrated desk bound ex-commander Richardson tries to influence the Navy Board to commission him with another sub. The board agrees but with the condition that his first officer is someone who is seasoned in active duty. Enter first officer Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster). Richardson evenhandedly trains his new crew for his sub the USS Nerka with one proviso issued by his superiors is that they are forbidden to enter the dangerous waters of the Bungo Straights. Richardson and Bledsoe quickly are on the offensive as I enjoyed the cat and mouse activities of Naval warfare. Watching Gable on patrol watch and issuing the famous cry, "DIVE DIVE DIVE!" Lancaster as the patient and obedient first lieutenant who handles the in-fighting as certain members of the crew who are insubordinate. Lancaster's acting was so natural as his dis- pleasure of Gable's command comes through naturally. There's a good reason with Lancaster's annoyances with Gable. Lancaster was the producer of this film and ran things on a tight schedule. Everyday at 5:00 Gable would call it quits. Even in the middle of crucial scenes, Gable would walk off the set. Don Rickles and Jack Warden stand out as active crew members in this underwater thriller. Rickles questioning authority and Warden dissatisfied with his commanders decisions. This all surfaces with an exciting confrontation you won't want to miss. You also see a declining elderly Gable who appears just a shell of a man against the strong and confident Burt Lancaster the new generation of Hollywood's heart throbs to take over the reins.

War movies about submarines are always tremendously exciting, and this one is perhaps the best of all.Everything is perfect in this film, the actors, the music by Franz Waxman which never dominates but accompanies perfectly the action the whole way, the story constantly inviting for another surprise, the very qualified direction keeping up a high tempo of suspense all the way, and above all the technical filming, actually realizing hair-rising naval battles with submarines in Japanese waters. The Bungo straits actually exist and offer a hazardous passage between two major Japanese isles and is an important transport route especially during the war for convoys.Clark Gable is a veteran submarine captain who gets his last command and a very vital and competent Burt Lancaster for his exec, who gets involved in the mutiny mood on board the submarine. The Bungo straits are notorious as a graveyard for u-boats, no one wants to go there voluntarily, but that's where the action is, so Clark Gable has to go there and bring everyone along with him on board, which of course leads to reactions; but the crew is in for a hell of surprises on the way.The plot is ingenious and typical of Robert Wise, he enjoyed great plots and twisted them around in his own way just to get them more efficient, as he did in such extremely different films as "The Haunting", "West Side Story", "Helen of Troy", "The Sand Pebbles", "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "The Andromeda Strain" just to mention a few examples. He even made "The Sound of Music".So it's actually no use saying anything about this film. The names ensure a perfect up-lifting experience even if it is of the very cruelest and hardest sides of the worst of wars...

Versatile Director Robert Wise is at the "Con" in this Highly Regarded Submarine Movie that was, Surprisingly, only a Moderate Box-Office Success.Starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster and a Solid Supporting Cast, the Movie is mostly Respected because of its Realistic Sub Setting and its Impressive Miniature Work.The Bungo Straits (Beavis and Butthead snicker) is a Submarine Graveyard and a Commander is forever wanting to Return for Revenge after He was on the Losing End in a Previous Confrontation with the Japs.Considered one of the Best in the War Movie Sub-Genre known as, well, Submarine Pictures. The Film looks Sleek and Glossy and the Lingo is Accurate, as is the Entire Production. Fans of this Type should be Impressed and as it was made in the Late Fifties, there is No Propaganda to Tolerate. Gable Looks Old and Sick, and He was, but gives a Powerful Performance as does Producer Lancaster who Restrains Himself Perfectly.The Music is the Only Thing that is Over-Done. The Story is Compelling if somewhat Condensed and Forced, but Nonetheless Intrigues and Entertains. A Must Watch for WWII Aficionados and Anyone with an Interest in Wartime after Wartime On Screen.