Das Boot (1981)
This film, directed by Wolfgang Petersen is a film from Germany. It tells the story of a U-boat crew in the 1940’s. They are aboard the submarine U96, from Germany. With a crew and captain on board, they are joined by a new lieutenant who is a war correspondent of Germany. In the fall, they head out to sea and experience internal conflicts, a storm, and several attacks from British ships. They head for Spain in December, but are ordered to go to Italy. This forces them to go through British controlled waters. Just when they getting ready to dive, a plane attacks them and bombs the u boat. Severely damaged, the submarine crew are forced to dive. After over half a day underwater, they make it back to Spain, and the U-boat sinks right after the crew gets out. This is probably one of the best movies with submarines. Every little detail is authentic, and the crew even looks pale from days without sunlight. You feel like you are in the submarine with them. This movie is very realistic. When they get hit with depth charges, the boat rocks and shakes accordingly, and the crew scrambles to make evasive maneuvers. You can hear the boat creak when they dive to their limit, and you can see the sweat on their faces when they get into trouble. When I watch this film in 5.1 surround sound, I feel like I’m really in a u boat. It is a very intense experience to watch this film. I haven’t seen another submarine film yet that is detailed, realistic, or sounds better than Das Boot.
The Enemy Below (1957)
This movie is about an American warship versus a German commander’s submarine. They battle, and neither get the upper hand. In the last fight between them, it looks like the German U boat wins by sinking the warship. This movie is old, but it still stands the test of time. I often hear about this film when war movies are mentioned. It might not be accurate to today’s standards, but this film focuses more on the battle between the men, and less on their sea ships. As far as the plot goes, it is still better that many of today’s submarine films.
Crimson Tide (1995)
A movie set in a time when Russia has nuclear weapons, a US submarine is deployed to patrol the waters and counterstrike if missiles are launched. The plot centers around the captain of the sub and the lieutenant. They don’t like each other from the start, and as the u boat gets into situations, they clash. With the crew on different sides on the matter, the feud between them escalates. It looks disaster is inevitable as they are attacked by the Russians, and the Captain wants to launch missiles. But is it the right decision? This is one of the best movies with submarines because it shows what can happen when two guys in charge disagree. Not many films with u boats really show internal conflicts on this scale. It gets so intense to the point that their lives are at stake.
Atragon (1963)
This is a film from Japan, which features a futuristic submarine that can fly and dig. This film shows the possible future of submarines. If a u boat can fly as well, it has more of a range, thus extending its capabilities. Even though it’s old, this film shows what can be possible with a little bit of ingenuity. No other film has a sub that can do more than just dive like this film, with the exception of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Gecko Joe, Top Submarine Movies Associated Content
