Both Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster do their best in what appears to be an otherwise sadly low budget production. Besides the rather pathetic toy models floated on water tanks to provide virtually all action shots, the producers seem to believe that torpedo explosions result in instant obliteration of entire destroyers. Swathes of Japanese aircraft bombard the surfaced US submarine but not a single bomb finds its target. A torpedo crushes the head of an unfortunate sailor but we see his legs and arms struggling to break free of it. The action scenes stretch credulity beyond acceptable limits and the plot is as predictable as any formulaic Hollywood movie.
Nonetheless I would recommend all Naval War Film fanatics to give it a viewing not least for the splendid tension created between the two greats as their egos fight a more entertaining struggle than any side show against the Japs. It's only 50 years old but the attitudes appear so dated. After blowing up ship after ship there is no thought about helping any survivors, no remorse for the hundreds who have just lost their lives and no discussion about the morality of sinking unarmed merchant ships. Any German sub doing the same would have been damned with vicious diatribe but, as always during this era of post war propaganda, it's one code of acceptable conduct for the Allies and a completely different one for their enemies.
Nonetheless I would recommend all Naval War Film fanatics to give it a viewing not least for the splendid tension created between the two greats as their egos fight a more entertaining struggle than any side show against the Japs. It's only 50 years old but the attitudes appear so dated. After blowing up ship after ship there is no thought about helping any survivors, no remorse for the hundreds who have just lost their lives and no discussion about the morality of sinking unarmed merchant ships. Any German sub doing the same would have been damned with vicious diatribe but, as always during this era of post war propaganda, it's one code of acceptable conduct for the Allies and a completely different one for their enemies.