My personal top 5 submarine movies

[Howard313]

Has it been done before? Probably.
Does anybody here care about my opinion? Probably not.
Am I going to do this anyway? Sure, got nothing better to do right now.

Warning, possible spoilers ahead!
I did my best to keep spoilers out of this list but I make no guarantees that you won't run into any.

When it comes to submarine movies, you have a laundry list to choose from. While every one I've seen so far has been entertaining, some are obviously going to be better than others.

Now this is all just my opinion, but since I am a god amongst men if you disagree with me then you are automatically wrong no matter what arguments you make.....sucker. With that out of the way, lets get this bloody thing over with. :shifty:

5. Down Periscope (1996) {not to be confused with 'Up Periscope' from 1959}
http://movies.maxupdates.tv/wp-contents/uploads/2010/01/Down-Periscope.jpg
Those who take the time and effort to read my posts will know from all the badly written jokes I throw in them that I like to laugh, and this movie with it's dry American humor hits me right in the American funny bone. Yes it is a comedy, and for that reason I can't really recommend it to everyone.

The plot follows Tom Dodge, who is given command of an old rusty run down diesel engine submarine called the USS Stingray.

It's not for everyone, a lot of people disliked it, I did not. Moving on.

4. U-571 (2000)
http://movi.ca/im/mio/2000U571.jpg

One of the more recent titles to make this list, this movie generally ticks people off for two reasons.


Monstrous portrayal of the German uboat crew.
Historical Inaccuracies.

Other than those two things, I found this movie to be fantastic, the plot was effective, the action scenes were intense, the acting was spot on, the effects were fantastic, and it was all around good fun. The plot basically follows an American crew boarding a German submarine in order to capture and decode their Enigma cipher machine. That's pretty much it, if you don't mind the fact it's not 100% accurate and just enjoy it as a movie you'll probably enjoy this one.

3. Das Boot (1981)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yp4Erjgdzj8/TNO145v4LCI/AAAAAAAABic/KMebvasm0Ms/s640/Das+Boot+%281981%29.jpeg

I can hear you guys now. "Howard! How dare you put Das Boot at the #3 slot! Das Boot is the best movie ever made of all time in all existence!"

Well calm down, I still enjoyed this movie, it wouldn't have made it on this list if I didn't. It's just a little.....long for my tastes. I had the displeasure of watching the uncut 5 hour version. Do yourself a favor, stick to the normal version, this movie was cut for a reason, uncut it moves at a snail's pace and by the end I'm exhausted and utterly bored. Luckily the Director's cut's pacing is much better and I highly suggest going with it instead.

Anyway if you are looking for historical accuracy look no further, this movie (unlike the last one on my list) was not made by Hollywood, it was made by the Germans. And they did a good job telling the story of the life and crew of a typical uboat. Acting is great, action scenes are pretty good, and this movie probably has the best soundtrack out of all of them on this list.

The plot follows an aging uboat captain and a typical patrol as a reporter comes along for the ride. Will he return home successfully? Will he return home at all?

2. The Hunley (1999)
http://www.grantboucher.com/images/VFX%20Images/Hunley.gif

Talk about an overlooked gem. Why isn't this movie more popular!? :x

For those who do not know the C.S.S Hunley was the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship, and this movie tells all about it. This movie has everything; action, humor, romance, sadness....all rolled into one big ball of chewy movie goodness. That's really all there is I can say about this one without giving too much away. If you like submarines (which if you are on this site I'm assuming you do.) or if you like civil war movies then give this one a go.

Also I'd like to say this movie has a pretty awesome soundtrack!

1. The Enemy Below (1957)
http://www.impawards.com/1957/posters/enemy_below.jpghttp://www.filmmusicsite.com/images/covers/large/2024.jpg

Oh boy we are getting into the classics now. Despite it's old age this movie has INCREDIBLE special effects, I mean if I didn't know any better I'd say they recorded actual war footage and just put it into the movie for the action scenes....wait what? Oh, that's what they did....heh. Moving on!

Plot is simple, a uboat and a destroyer meet each other, decide they don't like each other, and then decide to start beating each other up over it. This movie is a personal favorite of mine because there is no "bad guy" you care for both the uboat captain and the captain of the destroyer in this movie. Which begins to confuse you because you don't want either of these guys to die. This began to take it's toll on me halfway through the movie, I was on the edge of my seat after every depth charge, and every torpedo.

It's a little slow for the first 25 minutes (mostly to introduce you to the characters and their back-stories.) But after that You are in for a wild ride.

Gotta love the trailer too.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOGu9EP7ZUI

Well if you made it to here good job, you managed to read through this entire thing (Unless you just skimmed through it, then you are a cheater.) Let's just hope that I managed to put this in the right place/there isn't a sticky on the top of this forum that says "put your top 5 submovies here."

[Herr-Berbunch]

Something similar pops up about as often as 'SH3/4/5 - which do you think I'll like best'.

You'll be in for some flak about U571 :har:

[frau kaleun]

You lost me at "3. Das Boot"... :O:

The Hunt For Red October and Below would be on my list, but then the number of sub movies I've actually seen probably tops out at 5, so I guess they would all have to be on it. :haha:

Das Boot would be be #1 by a wide margin. :yep:

[Sailor Steve]

Has it been done before? Probably.
Definitely. But It's been awhile.Does anybody here care about my opinion? Probably not.
Definitely so! Of course I'll disagree with it vehemently, virulantly and violently, but hey, what are internet forums for?
Am I going to do this anyway? Sure, got nothing better to do right now.
Always a good thing. I've got nothing better to do that give you grief.

Warning, possible spoilers ahead!
I did my best to keep spoilers out of this list but I make no guarantees that you won't run into any.
Is any one of these movies less than five years old? One of them is over fifty! Anybody who hasn't seen them by now deserves to get spoiled

Now this is all just my opinion, but since I am a god amongst men if you disagree with me then you are automatically wrong no matter what arguments you make.....sucker. With that out of the way, lets get this bloody thing over with. :shifty:
As I've said elsewhere, my chiseled jaw and muscular frame are irresistable to women, men admire for my debonair manner and quick wit, but my best quality by far has to be my overwhelming humility. :O:

Down Periscope (1996)
I didn't like what I saw, but I haven't seen all of it, so I could be influenced to change my mind.

U-571 (2000)

Monstrous portrayal of the German uboat crew.
For some reason I didn't pick up on that. I guess I was too busy banging my head over the
Historical Inaccuracies.
I wouldn't have minded those nearly as much if they had even bothered to do some research on the littlest things. As soon as Harvey Keitel blew the klaxon three times for a dive I started throwing popcorn at the screen. Nit-picking? Sure, but when they can't even get the little details right what hope does the rest of it have. The special effects were great. Everything else, from the writing to the acting - not so much.

Das Boot (1981)
I can hear you guys now. "Howard! How dare you put Das Boot at the #3 slot! Das Boot is the best movie ever made of all time in all existence!"
Howard! How dare you put Das Boot at the #3 slot! Wait. Did somebody already say that?

You didn't like the long version? Read the book, then watch the long version in 1-hour sittings. You'll find it much easier to take and very like the book.

As for historical accuracy, a lot of actual u-boatmen disagreed. I liked the attention to detail where the interior of the boat was concerned, but a lot of the plot devices were cliches taken from other movies. Johann freaks out and has to be subdued? Destination Tokyo. There are others I can't think of right now, but they are there. I love the movie, but it's far from perfect. What I love the most is the lack of real plot. It just follows the patrol, for better and for worse.

...an aging uboat captain...
Well, in a submarine or a fighter squadron, I guess 30 is considered "aging".
:rotfl2:

The Hunley (1999)

Why isn't this movie more popular!? :x
Probably because it stunk so bad. I loved the concept (but what do I know? I'm a fan of Ironclads, which was probably worse) but the execution? Way, way WAY too much melodrama. Why can't these guys just tell the story and leave the fiction out of it? This is why Tora! Tora! Tora! is a true classic and Midway is classic crap.

The Enemy Below (1957)


I mean if I didn't know any better I'd say they recorded actual war footage and just put it into the movie for the action scenes....wait what? Oh, that's what they did....heh. Moving on!
Actually that's what they didn't. They used a real destroyer escort and did real things like dropping real depth-charges, but I'm pretty sure there was no stock war footage used at all.

I saw it in the theater when I was a kid, and those scenes played a major part in making me choose destroyers when I joined the navy.

Then again, one of my all-time favorites gets me razzed every time I mention it, so I won't. It sucked, both plot and acting, but it featured real early-war subs that just don't exist any more, and real pre-war Elco 77-footers, which even They Were Expendable didn't have, and it was supposed to be about those early boats.

So here's my guilty pleasure. Watch it at your own risk.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=139820
:rotfl2:

[frau kaleun]

Harvey Keitel

Will no doubt be the primary and possibly only reason I'll ever sit through all of U-571, when it finally comes up on my Netflix queue.

This is why Tora! Tora! Tora! is a true classic and Midway is classic crap.



Quoted, bolded, and enlarged for truth. :yep:

[Alex]

I can't recall how many movies featuring subs I've got the opportunity to watch so far :hmmm:, but I'd say those I won't forget are Das Boot (for obvious reasons), the enemy below (Curd Jürgens fanatic here), and the hunt for Red October that will remain at the very top of my list (simply because it's the first sub-related movie I've been watching, and mainly because it features Sir Sean Connery in all his magnificence *joining hands in prayer*).

[kiwi_2005]

The Enemy below. ( I need to get this movie to own as I watch this movie when I was 9 or 10 on the TV late at night with my father if there was a war movie on late at night he would let me stay up and watch it. :) )

Das Boot

K-19 The Widowmaker

Below

Crimsom Tide

.

[Howard313]

Is any one of these movies less than five years old? One of them is over fifty! Anybody who hasn't seen them by now deserves to get spoiled
You never know, someone might have missed one of these (born after the times, or mere lack of interest until this point.) and I did not want the plot spoiled for them. So I try to avoid adding spoilers on things like these at all costs. (unless you catch me doing a full on review, then I'll spoil away.)


For some reason I didn't pick up on that. I guess I was too busy banging my head over the
I believe this can be traced to one scene, and I quote.
The movie portrays a scene in which the U-boat sailors kill the Allied merchant crewmen who have survived their ship's sinking, in compliance with naval policy and so that the survivors do not report the U-boat position. Out of several thousand sinkings of merchant ships in World War II, there is only one documented case of a U-boat crew deliberately attacking the ship's survivors: that of the U-852 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-852), whose crew attacked survivors of the Greek ship Peleus.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_%28film%29#Critical_receptio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_%28film%29#Critical_reception)

Well, in a submarine or a fighter squadron, I guess 30 is considered "aging".
I mainly called him aging because he said himself that he felt ancient next to the rest of his crew members.


Probably because it stunk so bad. I loved the concept but the execution? Way, way WAY too much melodrama.
What can I say? I like a little drama. :haha:

This was actually one of those movies I came to with extremely low expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It actually inspired me enough to do a boatload of research on The C.S.S Hunley herself.


Actually that's what they didn't. They used a real destroyer escort and did real things like dropping real depth-charges, but I'm pretty sure there was no stock war footage used at all.
Thanks for the correction. Didn't know that one at all, kind of makes me like this movie even more, they went out of their way to get a real destroyer to drop some depth charges. That's devotion you don't see much of anymore, what with everything moving to computer graphics and all that jazz.

So here's my guilty pleasure. Watch it at your own risk.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=139820
:rotfl2:
I'll be sure to check that one out, it looks interesting from the screen shots.

I enjoyed this response immensely, good show SS, good show. :up: (you don't mind if I call you SS do you?)

[Sailor Steve]

You never know, someone might have missed one of these (born after the times, or mere lack of interest until this point.) and I did not want the plot spoiled for them. So I try to avoid adding spoilers on things like these at all costs. (unless you catch me doing a full on review, then I'll spoil away.)
I was just teasing of course. Spoiler warnings are always a good idea. I tend to forget that some people haven't seen Das Boot even though it's almost 30 years old now, and it shocks me when someone says "Why'd you have to tell me that ?!?!"

I believe this can be traced to one scene, and I quote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_%28film%29#Critical_receptio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_%28film%29#Critical_reception)

Huh. I don't even remember that part. Of course Germans always machine gunned survivors. I saw Murphy's War, y'know.
:rotfl2:

I mainly called him aging because he said himself that he felt ancient next to the rest of his crew members.
It's even funnier that in the book the LI was described as being 27, but looking 40, so they made a point of hiring a 40+ actor to play the role.



What can I say? I like a little drama. :haha:
The truth? If I dislike something about a movie I'll exaggerate the point, but there have only been one or two movies in my life I've actually regretted seeing. I love to complain about U-571 and Pearl Harbor, and I'll certainly never watch them again, but I didn't ask for my money back, or wish that I had. So while Hunley ticked me off big time and I won't own it like I do Ironclads, the models were nice and the action scenes were pretty good. I just wish they'd had more history and less fluff.

Thanks for the correction. Didn't know that one at all, kind of makes me like this movie even more, they went out of their way to get a real destroyer to drop some depth charges. That's devotion you don't see much of anymore, what with everything moving to computer graphics and all that jazz.
At that time the navy had plenty to spare, and giving the crew some excersize at someone else's expense was all part of the fun. It's like the scene in 12 O'Clock High in which a B-17 does a long protracted belly flop. They were a dime-a-dozen in those days and they didn't blink twice about racking one up.


(you don't mind if I call you SS do you?)
Would it matter if I did? :sunny:

[sharkbit]

...Das Boot even though it's almost 30 years old now...

Thanks Steve. I feel really old now. I saw it in college when it first came out. :sunny:

:)

[Sailor Steve]

Thanks Steve. I feel really old now. I saw it in college when it first came out. :sunny:

:)
I don't want to hear it. I got out of the navy twelve years before it came out.

[frau kaleun]

Thanks Steve. I feel really old now. I saw it in college when it first came out. :sunny:

I don't want to hear it. I got out of the navy twelve years before it came out.

I was still in high school. :smug:






But just barely. :O:

[Howard313]

You guys think you have it bad? I wasn't even born until 10 years after it came out. How do you think that feels?http://www.atlava.com/forum/images/icons/troll_face_dancing.gif

Edit: Great now I feel like a child.

[Sailor Steve]

Edit: Great now I feel like a child.
That will pass. Well, actually it won't. Sometimes I still feel like a kid in a world full of grownups. But the mirror says otherwise, and that never goes away. :cry:

[sharkbit]

But the mirror says otherwise, and that never goes away. :cry:

It is especially bad when you look in the mirror and say, "Dad?" :DL

:)

[Gerald]

But just barely. :O:[/QUOTE] I can well understand, :DL

[Schwieger]

...It's just a little.....long for my tastes.

What is the difference between watching uncut version of Das Boot and spending a few hours with SH3? :hmmm:

[frau kaleun]

What is the difference between watching uncut version of Das Boot and spending a few hours with SH3? :hmmm:

Getting to look at real live men getting all scruffy and sweaty, as opposed to a monotonous virtual crew that's not even remotely fap-worthy*? :O:








*My navigator not included.**








**Wait, did I just think that or did I type it out loud?

[Sailor Steve]

What is the difference between watching uncut version of Das Boot and spending a few hours with SH3? :hmmm:
Das Boot: Loads a whole lot faster.

SH3: Doesn't have the same scenes every time you play it.

Das Boot: Has a real mock-up u-boat.

SH3: You don't know what comes next.

Das Boot: Has real actors who sound like real men, as opposed to fakey-sounding voice actors.

SH3: I use the Das Boot Sound mod, so there is no difference.

So Das Boot is much better than SH3 when I want to watch a good movie, and SH3 is much better than Das Boot when I want to do it myself.

[Gerald]

:salute:

[Platapus]

Well at least no one mentioned Crash Dive.

Yes, Steve, I know it has your S Boats in colour. :D

Forced to choose between watching U571 and Crash Dive, I would reluctantly choose U571. And I hate U571. :yep:

[TLAM Strike]

Well at least no one mentioned Crash Dive.

Ugh!!!! I watched that for about 15 minutes (right up until the one guy is on the train) and had to turn it off. I know its propaganda but didn't anyone seriously believe this stuff?

[Gerald]

What stuff, :cool:

[Castout]

I vouch for Das Boot(what else :)), The Hunt of the Red October and K-13 which is while not a battle action ridden movie is trying to accurately depict a Soviet crew historical ordeal on that particular submarine.

That's it and down periscope for funny sub movie.

[Schwieger]

Surprised no one has mentioned Torpedo Run. Has to be one of my favourites.

[Platapus]

Torpedo Run is also a good one!

One WWII sub movie I missed for a long time was Hellcats of the Navy.

Silly me, I thought it was a movie about WWII fighters, specifically the F6F. Then I noticed it in a store and I realized that I had neglected my Sub collection! :damn:

It is not bad. Any movie with Ronald Reagan has low expectations. But this one was not too bad.

[Sailor Steve]

Well at least no one mentioned Crash Dive.

Yes, Steve, I know it has your S Boats in colour. :D

Forced to choose between watching U571 and Crash Dive, I would reluctantly choose U571. And I hate U571. :yep:
Do you always post without bothering to read the thread first?

[Sailor Steve]

Ugh!!!! I watched that for about 15 minutes (right up until the one guy is on the train) and had to turn it off. I know its propaganda but didn't anyone seriously believe this stuff?
I never said otherwise. I keep it just for the boat footage unavailable anywhere else in the world.

[Cohaagen]

Above Us The Waves, a superb John Mills film about a British submarine's mission to sink a German pocket battleship. While the technical details are generally very good, the real strength of the film lies in the well-drawn, sympathetically-realised characters. The crew and their personal lives are all depicted superbly without ever falling into the realm of soap opera.

It's on YouTube in its entirety:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj8M7mULzTY

[Osmium Steele]

It's like the scene in 12 O'Clock High in which a B-17 does a long protracted belly flop. They were a dime-a-dozen in those days and they didn't blink twice about racking one up.


Sadly, we just lost the Liberty Bell yesterday. She crashed on take-off and miraculously the pilot and 6 passengers walked away... ... then she burned. :wah:

not even remotely fap-worthy

Hehe... ... she said fap-worthy....

[Sailor Steve]

Sadly, we just lost the Liberty Bell yesterday. She crashed on take-off and miraculously the pilot and 6 passengers walked away... ... then she burned. :wah:
Yep. Sad news. We even have a thread about it.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=184528

[zoso1371]

The best sub movie of all time has got to be Das Boot, not the directors cut, but the full length uncut version.

[Osmium Steele]

Does "Run Silent, Run Deep" not warrant even an honorable mention? :O:
Operation Petticoat comes to mind...:DL

Ok, seriously...

The Hunt for Red October is still my favorite, mostly for sentimental reasons.
Das Boot is obvious, though I haven't watched it since video discs were state of the art.
I liked K-19, even if Ford did chew the scenery.
Down Periscope is a guilty pleasure.
Above Us, the Waves and Torpedo Run I'll have to check out.

And don't get me started on U-571 or Crimson Tide.

[Gerald]

:up:

[Herr-Berbunch]

Cafepress, as well as doing Onkel Neal's wares, also do this splendid coaster for FK :nope:

http://images4.cpcache.com/product/188849444v7_480x480_Front.jpg

Anyhoo... I bumped into a film title the other day, never heard of it before, not even on here, a German U-boat comedy called U-900 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClCNVtIadYE)

Anybody seen it (I'm assuming it's all in German!) Can't find much on it, a few minutes on youtube, an Independant.co.uk (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/film-comedy-puts-the-boot-into-das-boot-991681.html) write-up (putting the boot into Das Boot), and it's in the imdb. Currently unavailable at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Atze-Schr%C3%B6der-U-900-Film/dp/B003IV9U22/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1308147680&sr=1-1), but that was listed with only German subtitles!

[frau kaleun]

I dunno, I kinda like the old Seinfeld standby of "sponge-worthy." :O:

[Subnuts]

I've never seen Das Boot. A recent user review of it on IMDB doesn't give me a lot of hope:


Wolfgang Petersen often known for copying English films comes up with a remake of THE LOVE BUG but sadly dehumanizes the submarine too much and adds homo undertones in the sub which is too old fashioned The first half and all the prep scenes are very badly handled, the leg scene of Jürgen Prochnow and the UBoat scene and all his shabby outfits scenes are repulsive and actually don't go with what he says that he will never wear shabby outfits, you know how much they lie? Anywayz the submarine taking revenge part is interesting though filmy and the murder of Lehmann-Willenbrock is nicely handled but the rest murders are badly handled and with the hamming of the villains it's even worse Actually the villains comes across as jokers The handling of the past Schmutt's scenes are too in your face filmy and clichéd Direction is faulty Music is good. The movie reminds of the Buddy Hackett movie The LOVE BUG although the boring parts go on for hours and are more similar to My Dinner With Andre (1987).

The real hero in the film is the sub. Prochnow has just a marginal role in the film and is more likely used as a crowd puller. The story is quite simple and the movie is more likely to aim at the action sequences than presenting an interesting storyline.

Nothing new on the block just a simple Friday night flick, that is if you have nothing else to do.

Is it better than this guy suggests? :06:

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've never seen Das Boot. :o You've been here half-a-decade and not seen Das Boot? :hmmm:


Is it better than this guy suggests? :06: Marginally. Er, maybe a bit more than that then!

It's like asking 'does this game suit me?' or 'will I like this game?' in the SH5 side of this forum, only you will know if you think it's good or not. :DL

[frau kaleun]

:o You've been here half-a-decade and not seen Das Boot? :hmmm:


Marginally. Er, maybe a bit more than that then!

It's like asking 'does this game suit me?' or 'will I like this game?' in the SH5 side of this forum, only you will know if you think it's good or not. :DL

Methinks you just got pwned. :O:

[Gerald]

Methinks you just got pwned. :O: Hey...show respect, and not shuffling the cards, :DL

[Herr-Berbunch]

Methinks you just got pwned. :O:

I thought that may be the case :nope:

I also thought that by adding the :hmmm: I might get away with it.

Edit - I could just edit that post to look less 'easy'.

[missleman01]

Torpedo Run with Glen Ford, good technicolor look inside late war fleet boats even if the plot is dated.

Destination Tokyo: Propaganda for sure, but has a good early war Gato model in it, and nice for context since it was made during the war. It also captures national emotion and feelings during the pacific war and is refreshingly unapologetic.

Ice Station Zebra: Dated, very late 60's, but fun to watch and one of the rare ones set in the cold war.

Bedford Incident: Sidney Poitier, good thriller, cold war, nice suspense being from the destroyer's perspective.

Father Goose: Not so much a sub story till the end when Cary Grant et. Al. get picked up by one, but amusing, good story, and good early WWII setting with the Imperial Japanese, coast watchers, and Trevor Howard and the Royal Australian Navy.

[Oberon]

5. We Dive at Dawn

4. The Enemy Below

3. Down Periscope

2. Hunt For Red October

1. Das Boot

[Sailor Steve]

Congratulations HOWARD! You just made Subsim's FRONT PAGE!
http://www.subsim.com/index.php

:rock: :woot: :yeah: :Kaleun_Applaud: :Kaleun_Party:

[Howard313]

GREAT!

Do I win anything? A check? A subsim poster? Free T-shirt? Happy sticker?

[rokvam]

Hi...

Just felt the need to inform you that Das Boot originally was shot as a television series... this explains how the long version might seem a bit to long. It is! It was never intended to be watched in a five hour sitting!

To this day I cannot understand why they had to release it on DVD as a five hour film? They should at least give the wiewer the chance to select an episode wiew.

I have the original series on old VHS tape, and each episode opens with a narrative giving you the "this has happened so far".

It is much easier to watch when you can take it in in shorter "bursts"...

When it comes to realism, no other submarine film comes close!!!

[Laffertytig]

i have to totally disagree about the length of das boat being an issue. the full length version is miles better than the shortened one imo.

for me i would have it in my top ten best EVER films.

the only downside to it is the ending, it always saddens me to see their fate after all they went through.

top top film.:up:

[foz]

bbc four`s dive dive dive a good watch:salute:

[FIREWALL]

Above Us The Waves, a superb John Mills film about a British submarine's mission to sink a German pocket battleship. While the technical details are generally very good, the real strength of the film lies in the well-drawn, sympathetically-realised characters. The crew and their personal lives are all depicted superbly without ever falling into the realm of soap opera.

It's on YouTube in its entirety:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj8M7mULzTY

It's almost 1am here. :yawn: Watched all 9 parts. Not bad. :salute:

Will look for it on Amazon. :yep:

[NealT]

Hope I am not resurrecting a dead one but...

5 - U-571
4 - Run Silent Run Deep
3 - Down Periscope
2 - Das Boot
1 - Hunt for Red October

[Platapus]

U-571?

:hmmm:

In the top five sub movies?

Why is that one of your favourites?

[gar]

1. Das Boot (director's cut is best) (1981) Jurgen Prochnow - What can I say

2. Operation Pacific (1951) John Wayne - Depicts many true events, good
story

3. The Enemy Below (1957) Curd Jurgens/Robert Mitchum - good story

4. Submarine Command (1951) William Holden - Great views of the
interior of real boats

5. Operation Petticoat (1959) Cary Grant - Just a fun movie

My two cents

Garry

[Kaluen Miechiel]

Ya can't trust anyone who wasn't in Viet Nam. :cool:

[Sailor Steve]

1. Das Boot (director's cut is best) (1981) Jurgen Prochnow - What can I say
You can say you're sorry for not liking the 'Uncut' version best. :O:

[nikimcbee]

1. Run Silent, Run Deep
2. Das Boot (director's cut- can't beat the improved sound)
3-5. I'll have to think about.:hmmm:

[Stev1]

My Top Five are:-

1) Das Boot Directors Cut)
2) Operation Pacific
3) Run Silent Run Deep
4) Above us the waves
5) We Dive at Dawn

[Herr-Berbunch]

U-571?

:hmmm:

In the top five sub movies?

Why is that one of your favourites?

Clearly for it's realistic portrayal of what actually happened in real life! :o

Unless you know different? :hmmm:



Oh, that U-571, yeah, crock o' shistorical inaccuracies :O:

[Red October1984]

1: The Hunt For Red October
2: U-571
3: Das Boot Directors Cut

That's all I've got in my list

[Sailor Steve]

I've just added The Sinking Of The Laconia to my list. Real history (with a couple of fictional characters to give it a little personality) told well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTxrJFkbpjs

[soopaman2]

1: The Hunt For Red October
2: U-571
3: Das Boot Directors Cut

That's all I've got in my list

I have yet to see U 571, as it has been attacked relentlessly. I heard Jon Bon Jovi was in it, and want to see any flick with a famous rocker from new Jersey. Only way to get my wife to watch a war movie:D

I must agree with the others.

My personal list is this.

1. Das Boot. So gritty, and I am a Wolfgang Peterson fan.
2.K-19 The Widowmaker. True story, Liam Neeson, and Harrison Ford. What more do you need?
3. Hunt for Red October. Sean Connery, need I say more? Tom Clancys Jack Ryan series, in case I needed to say more.:O:
4. I will ad the classic Run Silent Run deep. Great considering movies of those times relied more on acting, than camera effects.
5. The (CSS )Hunley. Donald Sutherland is awesome in any movie he does (From Kellys Heroes to Space Cowboys, a true actor), the story is really amazing, and true.

[CCIP]

I know what they say about different strokes and everyone having different opinions, but just...

HOW DO PEOPLE LIKE U-571 :damn::damn::damn::damn:

Just... does not compute. I'd concede it being a good throwaway hollywood flick to chow some popcorn to but, best sub film? Really?

My own list

1. Das Boot
2. K-19 Widowmaker (I watched it dubbed into Russian... and was pretty much shocked how good Ford's portrayal of a Russian officer is. IMO the only Hollywood actor who can play a Russian character well.)
3. Operation Petticoat (a bit ridiculous but fun!)
4. Run Silent, Run Deep
5. The Hunt for Red October (not as convincing at portraying Russians, but still quite good!)

[soopaman2]

My cousin just dropped by with a copy of U-571. I love having a cinema-nut within 3 miles. He spends money on movies like I do on power tools and games.

Give me a few hours to watch, I will give my honest opinion. Though if you look back at my list above, you will see that it will have a hard time.

Though I will be objective, lets see, shall we?:)

[Gerald]

U-571 :damn:

[frau kaleun]

I can think of only two reasons to watch U-571.

1. Harvey
2. Keitel






Okay, three if you count the fact that it's buried somewhere in my Netflix queue and I'm too lazy to go look for it and delete it even though I've seen a good bit of it on cable TV already.



Always surprised that Below doesn't come up more often, although to be fair it's less of a "submarine movie" and more of a ghost story that just happens to be set on a submarine. Still, I enjoyed it and it gave me a couple of pretty good *shiver* moments when I saw it.

[Gerald]

When would you have time to watch a movie, when you're doing animation around the clock,but you're right about the actor, a sufficient motive :up:

[soopaman2]

I can think of only two reasons to watch U-571.

1. Harvey
2. Keitel




Yes!!! Harvey effing ruled!

After watching it, and digesting it, I must say Harvey, and Mr. Tyler were great in this movie.

Though the realism hits me at points.

First of all, the one black man on the boat.
Americas military was nowhere near integrated at that point.

Second, and most importantly.

The Brits found the first enigma box. It takes away from them, which is not fair. There are a thousand stories of heroic American deeds during WW2, and finding the enigma machine is not one of them, nor should it be. (this movie fools morons who get history from Hollywood)

Very entertaining movie, and I did like it, not enough to put in my previous top 5 though. But it was pretty entertaining, if you like movies and not history.

[frau kaleun]

Now here's a crazy coinkidinky, I have the TV on AMC just for background noise and one movie finishes and another one starts and suddenly I hear German voices which I can immediately tell are talking u-boat lingo and I turn around and sure enough they're on a u-boat so I hit the Info button on the remote and whaddya know.... :haha:





Edit: Dude playing the kommandant is hot, guess I gotta leave it on. :O:

[Gerald]

Now here's a crazy coinkidinky, I have the TV on AMC just for background noise and one movie finishes and another one starts and suddenly I hear German voices which I can immediately tell are talking u-boat lingo and I turn around and sure enough they're on a u-boat so I hit the Info button on the remote and whaddya know.... :haha:





Edit: Dude playing the kommandant is hot, guess I gotta leave it on. :O: These 3D things, have made you hallucinate :D

[frau kaleun]

These 3D things, have made you hallucinate :D

Well he looks far better in the white cap than I already know Matt McConnawhosis is gonna look.

[Gerald]

Women have different tastes in the usual way, but I have no immigration by your answers, it just feels good to be a real man, :DL

[frau kaleun]

Women have different tastes in the usual way, but I have no immigration by your answers, it just feels good to be a real man, :DL


http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/128379779591337500Ihavenoideaw.jpg

[Gerald]

You take what you want,:smug:

[Sailor Steve]

I have yet to see U 571, as it has been attacked relentlessly. I heard Jon Bon Jovi was in it, and want to see any flick with a famous rocker from new Jersey. Only way to get my wife to watch a war movie:D
Well, the only way to find out is to watch it. If you're looking for a mindless war flick, you might like it. If you know anything about submarines or naval operations at all, you'll probably become one of the ones who attacks it relentlessly.

Bon Jovi? Rocker? I've always thought of him as sort of 'Rock Lite'. :O:

[soopaman2]

Well, the only way to find out is to watch it. If you're looking for a mindless war flick, you might like it. If you know anything about submarines or naval operations at all, you'll probably become one of the ones who attacks it relentlessly.

Bon Jovi? Rocker? I've always thought of him as sort of 'Rock Lite'. :O:


He used to do the hair metal thing in the 80s. I selectively choose to remember him as that.:D

And yes, mindless.

Not a waste of time watching it though.:)

[Sailor Steve]

Yes!!! Harvey effing ruled!

After watching it, and digesting it, I must say Harvey, and Mr. Tyler were great in this movie.
I like Harvey Keitel, and he some great lines, but they lost me when they had him sound the klaxon three times to dive. Nit-picking? Sure, but if they can't even get the smallest detail right...

Though the realism hits me at points.

First of all, the one black man on the boat.
Americas military was nowhere near integrated at that point.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/SailorSteve/submarine_crew_f.jpg

Fifth row, far left. Black cooks and stewards were not uncommon, even on a submarine.

Second, and most importantly.

The Brits found the first enigma box. It takes away from them, which is not fair. There are a thousand stories of heroic American deeds during WW2, and finding the enigma machine is not one of them, nor should it be. (this movie fools morons who get history from Hollywood)
In fact such a big fuss was made over that point at the time that a disclaimer was put into the credits. It might have been more fun if someone in the movie had complained that they had to do this because the Brits weren't sharing. Still untrue, but more fun.

Very entertaining movie, and I did like it, not enough to put in my previous top 5 though. But it was pretty entertaining, if you like movies and not history.
I complain about it, but on the other hand I'm a fan of an arguably much worse movie.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=139820

[toni007]

Your list is bad DAS BOOT is Best submarine movie ever
and it should be for all of you here because in SIlent Hunter you control U boat like in movie..and even better.movie is original made by germans themself :)

[USS Drum]

I know this thread is kind of old but I just decided to post this.

5.Crash Dive, Well you may scream in my face about it but I found it kinda good. It was also filmed on the Marlin which did operate out of New London.

4.The Hunt for Red October, The thing I didn't like about it was the defecting Russian since there was no case in the war where a Russian submariner defected.

3.Crimson Tide, It is quite a good one and also very intense.

2.Run Silent Run Deep, I liked this one A LOT because it had a good plot and it showed them operating the TDC.

1. Das Boot, Yeah it is number 1 because of a lot of stuff for one it didn't portray Germans as Nazi fanatics like Saving Private Ryan it portrayed them is actual PEOPLE 2.It showed what it was like on a WWII U-boat. And anyones who's wondering well that scene where a crewman falls off the Turm is Authentic he did fall off it and it was kept in the movie.

[Sailor Steve]

I know this thread is kind of old but I just decided to post this.
A month-and-a-half is hardly old. :|\\

5.Crash Dive, Well you may scream in my face about it but I found it kinda good. It was also filmed on the Marlin which did operate out of New London.
I won't scream in your face. Did you read my thread? :sunny:
I also won't quibble with your choices, as everything is personal. I will ask a couple of questions though.

1. You argue with Hunt For Red October because no Russian submariner defected, but you don't make the same case against Crimson Tide when no incident like that happened either? That confuses me. But don't worry, I'm easily confused. :doh:

2. And anyones who's wondering well that scene where a crewman falls off the Turm is Authentic he did fall off it and it was kept in the movie.
You say that like it's news. Is there anyone who loves that movie who didn't know that?

Here's a real question: Have you seen the 5-hour 'Uncut' version? Far better than any other.

[TLAM Strike]

4.The Hunt for Red October, The thing I didn't like about it was the defecting Russian since there was no case in the war where a Russian submariner defected.
Well it was based on two incidents that did happen, one was the defection of a Soviet tug crew and the other was the (believed) attempted defection of the crew of a Soviet Frigate. The Soviet Frigate mutiny was really an attempted coup.

While no Soviet submarine officer has defected a North Korea officer named Lee Kwang Soo did in 1996, the rest of his crew were killed or escaped back to North Korea.

1. You argue with Hunt For Red October because no Russian submariner defected, but you don't make the same case against Crimson Tide when no incident like that happened either? That confuses me. But don't worry, I'm easily confused. :doh: Crimson Tide could be said to be loosely based on the B-59 incident of 27 October 1962. ;)

[Sailor Steve]

How loosely?

[TLAM Strike]

How loosely?

"I'm not going to sleep tonight" loosely. :)

Captain goes loony thinking his submarine is under attack and WWIII has begun then almost fires his nuclear torpedo at the carrier USS Randolf before his XO Captain Vasili Arkhipov talks him down and convinces him to surface and regain contact with Moscow.

Captain Vasili Arkhipov was also the IRL XO of the K-19, his actions during Operation Anadyr inspired the (fictional) actions of the character based on him in K-19: The Widdowmaker.

[USS Drum]

Here's what wiki says:

Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 27, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of eleven United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph trapped a nuclear-armed Soviet Foxtrot class submarine B-59 near Cuba and started dropping practice depth charges, explosives intended to force the submarine to come to the surface for identification. The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, believing that a war might already have started, wanted to launch a nuclear-tipped torpedo, despite the Soviets being informed that practice depth charges were being used.[3]
Three officers on board the submarine — Savitsky, the Political Officer Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, and the second in command Arkhipov — were authorized to launch the torpedo if agreeing unanimously in favor of doing so. An argument broke out among the three, in which only Arkhipov was against the launch,[4] eventually persuading Savitsky to surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow. The nuclear warfare which presumably would have ensued was thus averted.[5] Arkhipov's actions served, in part, as the inspiration for the American film Crimson Tide.

[Randomizer]

Both of these accounts are widely at variance with that in Peter Huchthausen's book October Fury.

According to Huchthausen (who was a CIC Talker on USS Blandy (DD 943) with the Essex CVBG at the time), the most tense period was when Captain 2nd Rank Savitsky requested bread and cigarettes from USS Cony (DDE 508) acting as close escort after B-59 surfaced. A bosun on Cony fired a line gun over to B-59, something that was outside of the Soviet sailor's experience and was initially mistaken for a hostile shot. The Russian's used a bolo to heave lines.

Later a Navy P2V Neptune dropped some "incendiary devices" on B-59 while she was sailing in tandem with Cony and the former maneuvered to place the American destroyer escort in the arcs of her forward torpedoes but Cony apologized to B-59 by searchlight and sent a snot-gram to the Neptune squadron commander. He quotes one member of Cony's bridge watch as commenting this incident was "pretty exciting".

There was apperently tension between Savitsky and Arkhipov after B-59 was detected and the Americans were dropping hand grenades to get the Soviet boat to surface but if Huchthausen's account is accurate (and his primary sources are far more extensive than the wiki article), there was never a real threat of B-59 shooting first even though nuclear release had been delegated to her commanding officer before they left base as part of the operation order.

Captain 1st Rank Arkhipov was not B-59's captain, he was chief of staff of the Red Banner Northern Fleet's 69th Submarine Brigade, the submarine component of Operation Anadyr. The Brigade Commander, Captain 1st Rank Agafonov traveled in B-4.

I have no idea which is the authoritative account of these events, the the wiki certainly has greater drama but Huchthausen's more prosaic version of events rings truer to me.

[bill clarke]

I'd like to chime in here,

Ice Station Zebra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du7ls7v2uYQ

The Bedford Incident,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=558o0LjxTvI

And

Operation Petticoat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ttd48u0J0&feature=related

Almost forgot :

Hell and High Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUb_cG_BdxM

[Tarnsman]

OK here goes

5. Hunt for Red October
- Cracking good yarn. Lots of moving pieces but I will never forgive the shot of the Panther crashing on deck 40 years after it took off.

4. Run Silent Run Deep
- Great drama, made you feel as if you were part of a real crew, cut the WWII schmaltz way down especially for a 50s movie.

3. Enemy Below
- Maybe not as good a film as RSRD looking back on it. But It sucks me in everytime I see it, and Ive seen it at least 15 times now.

2. K-19 The Widowmaker
- Very good movie. Not to be missed.

1. Das Boot
- Saw it orginally in the theater when it came out. Still the most intense war movie ever made. Rivet counter nirvana, will probably never be topped in the sub film genre.

[Cybermat47]

Here's my list:
1. Das Boot

2. The Hunt for Red October

3. The Enemy Below

4. U-571

5.umm... The Spy Who Loved Me?

[WAR JUNKIE]

Im looking for a submarine movie that has captions in the beginning of it that are roughly like this:


If you though the Cuban missle crisis has brought us yards within a nuclear war then this brough us inches....

could somebody please help me find it?

[Red October1984]

I can't help you. I haven't seen a movie like that. Sorry....

Here's my updated list.

1. Run Silent Run Deep

2. The Enemy Below

3. Das Boot (In German with English Subtitles only!)

4. Crash Dive

5. Operation Pacific