The Bedford Incident

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Summary: Tense, exciting Cold War drama
Review: The Bedford Incident is an excellent Cold War drama that I had never heard of before seeing it recently on television. The USS Bedford is on patrol duty in the North Atlantic off of Greenland when two guests are brought aboard, a journalist hoping to document the life on a destroyer and the new doctor for the ship. Once aboard, the two men find a crew pushed to their absolute limit by their captain, Eric Finlander. When a Russian nuclear sub is found in territorial waters, the Bedford receives orders to track the sub. What follows is a tense, exciting drama that all builds up to a powerful and surprising climax. Don't be confused though, this is not an action movie, but a character driven study about the effects of war on your average seaman. Very exciting from beginning to end and highly recommended for an excellent Cold War drama.

Richard Widmark is great as hard-nosed, patriotic, Captain Eric Finlander, the captain of the Bedford who is constantly pushing his crew to their limits during the sub chase. Equally as good is Sidney Poitier as Ben Munceford, the journalist on board looking for a good story. James MacArthur gives an excellent supporting role as Ensign Ralston, the young officer trying to constantly prove himself onboard the Bedford. Martin Balsam plays Lt. Cmdr. Chester Potter MD, the new doctor trying to find his niche on board. The movie also stars Wally Cox as Seaman Merlin Queffle, Eric Portman as Wolfgang Schrepke, an observing German officer and former U-boat captain, and Michael Kane as Cmdr. Allison, Finlander's executive officer. The DVD offers widescreen presentation, but I would love to see a special edition DVD released with commentaries or at least trailers. For a tense, exciting Cold War drama with a great cast, check out The Bedford Incident!

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Summary: What? A Navy vessel & no poker going on? Impossible.
Review: Wait. There's more. A good cold war era thriller. I had a hunch that the USS Bedford would come to grief but I really didn't know how much.
Sidney Poitier & Martin Balsam are fine but this is Richard Widmark's movie. He plays the slightly mad cold warrior, Capt. Eric Finlander. He is the best CO in the Navy. But politically he's a loose cannon with an in your face attitude. He's been passed over for promotion.
The Bedford is tracking a Soviet sub that has strayed into Greenland's territorial waters. Capt. Finlander is itching for a confrontation. The tension grows throughout ala Hitchcock or a good Twilight Zone episode. Then there is a mistake. Soon after that...nothing. Literally. Worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Stretches the nerves to the breaking point. . .
Review: A grim, all-too-realistic Cold War thriller, the Bedford Incident succeeds on almost every conceivable level. The basic story, while set in a late 50s-early 60s naval scenario, is timeless in its depiction of the potential for military commanders to do incalculable harm by pushing their envelope just a bit too far. A fine international cast adds to the credibility of the story. Taut directing allows the real-time action to flow smoothly, with the slowly increasing tension building to a nerve-shattering crescendo. The climax of the film is so sickeningly terrifying that most horror film producers would be jealous. The Bedford Incident is not for the faint-hearted, but provides a devastating video experience for fans of the fact-based thriller.

Rating:
Summary: "There's something very exciting about the hunt."
Review: As other reviewers have already mentioned, this is one of the best Cold War thrillers ever made. Based on Mark Rascovich's novel, this is the story of The Bedford, a U.S. naval vessel supposed to be on a typical NATO patrol that ends up in a tense showdown with a Russian submarine.

Richard Widmark (who also co-produced the movie) plays the fanatically determined Captain Eric Finlander, who will stop at nothing to force the enemy sub to surface, whether it's in international waters or not. Widmark plays a totally unlikable character, but hey this is someone who became a star for pushing an old lady down the stairs in "Kiss of Death"! Widmark is one of my favorite actors and he gives yet another incredible performance.

On board the Bedford are three potential sources of conflict for Captain Finlander. First and foremost is Ben Munceford (played by Sidney Poitier), a photojournalist who constantly questions the captain's judgement while trying to find out the truth of the dangerous mission of hunting the Russian sub. Also on board is the recently assigned ship's doctor, played by Martin Balsam, who is neither wanted or liked by the captain. And finally, Eric Portman portrays a former U-boat commander who is now a West German NATO observer on the Bedford. His expert advice is only helpful to the captain as long as he doesn't challenge the captain's authority. Plus, a very young Donald Sutherland plays one of the doctor's aides, and James MacArthur plays a young ensign who eventually cracks from the barrage of insults and pressure heaped upon him by the demented captain.

The Bedford is a ship where everyone on board is tense and combat ready 24/7. No one reports for sick call and no one asks for transfers. Captain Finlander pushes his men and his ship to the breaking point as they closely follow the Russian sub. But when the sub refuses to surface, Finlander pushes his luck too far, leading to tragic consequences.

This is a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller that blows all other Cold War movies out of the water. The amazing black and white cinematography adds to the chilling atmosphere, and the flawless performances will keep you hooked throughout the film. The dvd has a great picture and sound quality, but except for a few theatrical trailers there are no special features. If you enjoy Cold War thrillers this is an absolute must!

Rating:
Summary: Aye, Aye Sir; Fire one
Review: Excellent Cast. Extreamly close to real life in the US Navy of the time

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Summary: "Bedford" has been used in military training.
Review: I first heard of this movie from a guy I met who told me it had been used as an example of overzealousness in his military training. It was shown to caution the soldiers (he was Army) not to "push too hard" where mistakes could be costly. Who knew what incident might escalate into WW III. He said they were told that the Bedford Incident was based on a true incident that was very similar to but had a different outcome than the movie. He said they were told the real incident and it's outcome but sworn to secrecy about it. The movie and the training relating to it impressed him very much. I have not heard this from others. It may not have been used service wide, maybe just by a single group. The movie certainly could serve that purpose. I was wondering if anyone else had heard of the Bedford Incident being based on actual events.

Rating:
Summary: a Widmark disappointment
Review: I love Richard Widmark as an actor, but in this film he was just plain awful, particularly in the interview scene with Sidney Poitier. Martin Balsam's character is either irrelevant or woefully underdeveloped; the obvious attempt to parallel his efforts to overcome his past with those of Widmark's Captain Finlander--an attempt, I assume, to highlight Finlander's hypocrisy--are shallow at best. Some films work in unrefined form, but a political thriller, particulalry of Cold War vintage, cannot pull it off, and this one doesn't.

Rating:
Summary: Cold war drama at its best
Review: I saw this movie when I was a kid with my father, and I have never forgotten it since. Of all the films of this genre, I think this one rates near the top. Excellent cast of actors, Richard Widmark is great as the Captain.

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Summary: This movie is based on real war games
Review: I was stationed in Scotland from 1965 to 1967. We were ordered to NOT SEE THIS MOVIE. Of course, once I got out of the service, I immediately sought it out. It is based on real summer war games of the time. Also, it was a great movie!

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Psychological Thriller
Review: I've never seen a more suspenseful movie than this forgotten classic. In my opinion, this is the best cold war movie ever made.

In the Arctic a US Navy ship is commanded by a ruthless captain who demands more of his crewmen than they are able to give. The captain's mission is to shadow the movements of a Russian submarine as it tries to hide among the icebergs. Another reviewer has pointed to the similarity between this story and Moby Dick -absolutely true, and I hadn't thought of that before. It's also a bit like Crimson Tide, but more tense and much more believable.

Eric Portman does a perfect job as the ex U-Boat commander. The role is loosely based on the real life postwar career of Erich Topp, one of the most successful U-Boat commanders of WW2, who later became an adviser to NATO. James MacArthur (Hawaii 5-0's Danno) also does a nice job as the crewman driven to distraction by fatigue. Martin Balsam stands out as the burnt-out doctor, too fearful to confront his captain.

By the climax of this movie, you'll be on the edge of your seat, watching with a growing sense of dread as the unfortunate mix of characters causes events to spin inexorably out of control. The script, the direction, and the acting are all great. This is how movies are supposed to be.