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The Enemy Below
The crew of the American destroyer escort, the USS Haynes, detects a German U-Boat—resulting in a prolonged, deadly battle of wits.
Release : | 1957 |
Rating : | 7.4 |
Studio : | 20th Century Fox, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Robert Mitchum Curd Jürgens David Hedison Theodore Bikel Russell Collins |
Genre : | War |
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Reviews
Excellent, smart action film.
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Oh my! Must first say Robert Mitchum is my FAVorite actor of all time! And the most under-rated or the most under-afforded get movie roles! For some reason at that time, maybe his bold nature, he was not considered for some of the great roles of his time. Snobby Hollywood may have given too much notice to his cavelier nature and "pot" smoking. Roles went instead went to Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Rock Hudson, Clark Gable, William Holden, Marlon Brando, and the likes. Just take a look at his performances in Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, The Night of the Hunter, Thunder Road, and Cape Fear- to mention a few. The Enemy Below also fits in this group. A most unique war story with a fascinating plot, humanizing both sides of the war conflict. The enemy commander, played by Curd Jürgens, provides such a plausible and compelling wartime story. A war story that does not ignore human nature and respect. I will, as long as I live, wave my flag high and vigorously for Robert Mitchum. A "ONE OF A KIND" man and actor! Would also consider Clark Gable in the same light. God rest their souls and may their memorable movies endure for all time.
Not a documentary, this movie focuses more on the personal interactions between men in a war they have learned to hate...Robert Mitchum is the American Captain of a Buckley class Destroyer Escort, operating independently in the North Atlantic...Kurt Jurgens is the crusty German skipper of a submarine, who has experienced two World Wars. Both of them have felt the horror of war, the utter futility of constant conflict, but both still do their duty...The Enemy Below is a portrait of two men's inner demons, and their struggle to overcome those demons...there is a lot of action as well...Overall, the film brings technically accurate depictions of war at sea, a good bit better than many others...but it is drama, first and foremost, with the accuracies set as the backdrop...This is always well worth watching...
Robert Mitchum was a big movie star back in the 1950s and 1960s, though I suppose most of the younger viewers don't know who he was. It is nice to be able to find some of these fine older movies on the "Movies!" channel. Especially during the first 10 to 15 years after the war ended in 1945 there was considerable Hollywood fascination with war-related movies. And they mostly were received well by the USA public that had gotten heavily involved in supporting the war effort. The dastardly Nazi Germans were still a big interest on the big screen.Here the two stars were both near 40 years of age, Mitchum is USA Capt. Murrell with a destroyer. Curd Jürgens is Nazi Captain Von Stolberg. They have a close encounter at sea and each must try to destroy the other. So most of the movie is that mental chess game at sea, two veteran captains trying to predict what the other will do, and often ordering maneuvers that puzzled the rest of their crews.While there is plenty of action the story is really about these two men. It tries to bring humanity to the war effort. Hollywood would not release a movie in 1957 that had the Germans defeating the Americans.SPOILERS: As the chase comes to a climax the sub must surface and the destroyer is faced with a collision. Germans didn't like their U- boats captured so time bombs were set. The Americans had to vacate their vessel, try to save as many prisoners as they could, and still avoid being sunk in lifeboats by the imminent explosions.
The Enemy Below is a cat and mouse tale between an American warship and a German Submarine. This film succeeds on nearly every level. Rather than paint the Germans as the bad guys it shows that on both sides it was just normal men fighting a war that none of them really wanted to be in. The two leads Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens are both outstanding as the Captains who gain a mutual admiration for each other. I liked the way it showed the fears of the men on board from both sides. The director builds up a great air of tension throughout culminating in an impressive finale to the film. War films are not one of my favourite genres but this is an intelligent, entertaining and impressive film that holds your attention throughout. Even if you have little interest in the genre it is well worth seeking out. One of the best war films I've seen.