Pluskylang Great Film overall

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Jonas Sundsten The submarine is probably the most strange and terrifying weapon ever invented by man. A steel tube hiding underwater navigating by sound, firing torpedoes at unarmed freighters and getting hammered by depth charges and enemy airplanes. Surrounded by dark water ready to crush and drown its crew at any second. The submarine is a perfect set for both war-drama and horror.I find submarines fascinating and I've always loved submarine movies. It's too bad there aren't that many worth watching really. Apart from the masterpiece Das Boot there are just a few decent viewings but nothing that even come close to Wolfgang Petersens U-Boat survival drama. Except for Run Silent Run Deep that is.Set in the pacific during WWII on an American submarine fighting the Imperial Japanese Navy the film features both screen legends Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Gable as the stubborn submarine captain and Lancaster as the younger lieutenant. The movie is directed by the famous and skillful Robert Wise. I'm not going into the script to much but it's a quite good boat and captain story with a mythical enemy ship and the usual drama among the crew. All in very fast pace.The big star here, besides Gable and Lancaster, is the submarine and its periscope, torpedoes and interior perfectly portrayed with impressive realism in everything from underwater combat to surface artillery bombardment. Every torpedo attack is arranged with periscope sighting, range and bearing calculation, and use of the analog computer (TDC) to track and destroy the target. To hit something with a torpedo is not a simple task. Specially not a fast moving destroyer shooting at you. Sonar, radar and all the radio communication is also done with the same close realism. It's all the details that makes this film special.The special effects are all very impressive with miniatures, explosions and fast moving torpedoes beautiful shot in black and white. The music and sound effects are also perfect. The sound is better then anything I've ever seen in an action movie from the late 1950s. The production is top notch.But this is still a movie made in 1957. Everyone is perfectly looking and clean-shaven even after weeks at sea. There are a few to many corners cut at the end. And it's a very straight forward all-male story of submarine warfare. But the crisp production and the fast paced action makes it exciting all the way to the showdown. Run Silent Run Deep is a perfect movie for the submarine connoisseur.

John T. Ryan THIS IS A FINE example of a great story about World War II which was produced after the coming of both V E Day and V J Day.* We beg to make the distinction between a war picture's classification being done, not just purely on the basis of its chronology; but also because of the circumstances that exist at the times. Therefore, a movie made during the time while the hostilities were on, will of necessity be much more content which is intended to be pro-Allied propaganda.** JUST SCREENING ONE of those films made years after the War's end, one can readily see that there is a greater concentration of objectivity than those made in the years of 1939-45. That's not to say that we weren't aware of the nature of the struggle and just who were the enemies. Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan comprised the Axis Powers and along with some minor puppet state allies, they were the enemy.SUCH A STORY THAT is portrayed in this film, today's lucky 'victim', RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP, has the luxury of examining certain other aspects of the military. Just because we are at War, it does not mean hat there are not serious disagreements at the policy making levels and even in the various Theaters of War and in the Battlefield itself. Personal opinion and pride may well be sublimated, but they are still there, under the surface (just like a Submarine).OUR STORY REVOLVES around the aging skipper (Clark Gable) taking it upon himself to change the mission's orders, allowing himself to in a sense, redeem his own previous unsuccessful actions in the same region of the Pacific. In the pursuit of his vindication, he becomes entangled in a dispute with his Executive Officer (Burt Lancaster) and the controversy nearly ends up in tragedy.BUT LUCKILY, ALL'S well that ends well as the sub manages to both complete its objectives and give the Captain of the ship his vengeance on the enemy who cost him hi last command.THE SKIPPER DOES not live out the tour of duty and dies and is buried at sea, along with what could otherwise have been the grounds for a Court Martial.AS WE'VE ALREADY stated, this is one of our favorite War films of that period. A great cast, including a young Don Rickles and perpetual screen Non-commissioned Officer, or "Non-com", Jack Warden.JUST HAVING BEEN viewed once again after some years, we found this to alive, fast paced and fully feathered of a war picture.NOTE: * These are Wartime terms from the middle 1940s. "VE Day" refers to "Victory in Europe"; whereas "VJ Day" referred to "Victory over Japan.NOTE ** This use of 'propaganda' may seem strange to many; as it usually does have a negative connotation, being the enemy's tool of untruths. It is, however, perfectly legit and refers to any efforts to advance one's own cause and maintain a high level of morale on our side.

Matthew_Capitano Pretty good war film with a fine performance by Clark Gable as 'Captain Richardson' who heads for a forbidden target position called the Bunghole Straits. Also appearing in an uncredited role is excellent actor John Gibson as 'Captain Blunt' who near the beginning of the film tells Lancaster that he'll have to wait for a command.When Richardson receives a new sub, he heads his ship for the Bunghole Straits to try and take on the Japanese on his own terms. Burt Lancaster and Don Rickles are in the cast. Rickles is a humorous presence even when he's not trying to be humorous. Good action and suspense with the usual dramatic subplot of crew jealousy involving who should get command of what.Gable and Gibson are the stars here. One of the better war films, this one is set almost entirely on the submarine.To the Bunghole Straits!

BoomerDT I happen to love this film genre. When done well, it reaches a high level of tension and suspense. My dad, a WW2 USN vet, introduced me to this film on TV when I was a kid. He was an aviator who actually flew in PBY's that hunted enemy subs but all men in the Navy had great respect and admiration for the Silent Service. Submariners were an elite bunch. It was dangerous and the subs of the WW2 era were tiny, at least in comparison to modern nuclear subs. They hunted as lone wolves and if sunk, the chances of survival was slim.RSRD stars 2 of the great leading men of the era, Gable as Captain PJ Richardson and Lancaster as his XO, Jim Bledsoe. At 57 Gable was way too old to be believable as a sub skipper as was Lancaster, who was in his mid-40's, although he was in excellent shape and looked 10 years younger. Gable looked every day of 57 and more, this was one of his last films. Hollywood loves to sanitize war by having older men doing jobs that were generally covered by teenagers and guys in their 20's. But if you can buy into the plausibility of a guy of Gable's age being a sub commander, he does an excellent job as a man obsessed with hunting down the ship that sank his previous command. As the Nerka's XO Lancaster has to do a delicate balancing act. He and most of the crew are questioning their Skippers motives and believe he is willing to sacrifice them in order to settle his personal vendetta. But as a loyal Navy officer the notion of taking over command is verboten, until the commander is incapacitated and then he realizes, as commander that he must also take on the dangerous task of sinking the enemy. RSRD has all the elements we love in sub movies. The depth charge attack, the silent running scenes, listening to Tokyo Rose on the radio, the elation of sinking the enemy ships and the dramatic burial at sea. Robert Wise does a great job of capturing both the camaraderie and the excruciating tension of men living in close quarters never knowing if this may be their last day. Wise doesn't spend much time on back story, this is a tight 93 minutes without any wasted scenes. Familiar faces such as Jack Warden and Brad Dexter have good parts and a young Don Rickles provides a bit of comic relief, he incorporates a bit of the schtick that became the basis of his stand up persona. "Clear the decks, lookouts below. DIVE, DIVE!!" Terrific movie and great film genre!