Run Silent, Run Deep

Excellent WWII movie. Hollywood influenced, of course, but not nearly as badly as movies of today. Good realistic scenes. Very convenient on DVD!

This film accurately portrays the background of military officers, in other words, what, in his background, makes a man a good officer? What makes a man a good commanding officer - experience, training, apptitude or all three? Clark Gable gives a riveting performance of a man who is out for revenge, totally unaware of the effect his actions have on his suboridinates or what dangers to him and to his crew might transpire if he continues on his course. The special needs of the individuals chosen to man submarines is not a guarded secret; to work on a submarine requires a specific set of attributes. It's really exciting and nail biting.

World War II United States Navy submarine Commander P.J. Richardson, (Clark Gable) has an obsession with the Japanese destroyer that sank his previous boat and three others. He convinces the navy board to give him a new sub command with the provision that his exec be someone who has just returned from active sea patrol. He is single-mindedly training the crew of his new boat, the USS Nerka, to return to the Bungo Straits and sink the destroyer, captained by the crafty ex-submariner, now destroyer captain, nicknamed Bungo Pete. The executive officer, Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster), is worried about the safety of his boat and his crew. Bledsoe also is seething with resentment at Richardson and the Navy brass for denying him the command of the ship which rightfully should have been his. Richardson begins to drill the crew on a rapid bow shot, normally a desperation move in which the sub fires at a destroyer moving in for the kill "down the throat", i.e. at its bow coming head-... Read more

For a World War II buff, this movie is a classic and a must have.

For those who like submarine tales, this is a classic ... a bit dated by modern standards, but rip-roaring good entertainment. Those who were in the Silent Serevice in WWII [I was not] had a greater casualty rate than any other; this film should be dedicated to those who went to sea in boats, not ships.