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The Enemy Below

The Enemy Below

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Enemy Above
Review: There are very few war movies I have not seen. Of those close to hundred or so that I have seen this is in the top ten. The psychological battle that takes place in each captains mind and in fighting the enemy is very well done. Yes it is true that neither wants war but they must do their duty and in doing so they are clever adversaries. If you like war movies that give both sides perspective like "Tora Tora Tora", "The Battle of the Bulge", and "Hell in the Pacific" you should enjoy it. The key roles by Robert Mitchum and Curt Jergens are superb and the supporting cast is quite good as well. The battle sets are professional and look great even compared to todays standards. The music adds to the suspense throughout the movie. The director does a fine job of pulling us into the movie and keeps the pace brisk. One for anyone that enjoys good war movies to add to their collection. If you enjoy Naval movies this is one of the best. I can't wait till my pre-order of the DVD arrives 5/20/03. Did I say pre-order? Something has now happened so that you can not order this movie. After three months I am beginning to wonder what happened to foul up the release. I have seen it shown to be released April 6th by one site and May 25th here. Who knows, but the studio is missing out on a good number of sales holding this one back.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Greatest Sub Chase
Review: Great movie. This movie looks at the German and American perspective of the battle for the Atlantic. Surprisingly we don't see a British Destroyer, but an American. Robert Mitchum is great as the American Destroyer Captain, and Curt Jurgens is excellent as the German Submarine Captain. Any fans of ship and submarine movies will like it. You can pre-order it for the May 25, 2004 release.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anti-war film
Review: You might think this could be one of those WWII "why we fight" films, but it's not. Mostly, it's anti-war, but it's cleverly
disguised as an action-packed, duel-of-wits war movie. Unlike the pro-war propagana piece, _Saving Private Ryan,_ in this movie the Germans are portrayed as human beings. The one Nazi on the sub is a coward who is the first to want to surrender. When he reads a copy of _Mein Kampf,_ the captain looks at him with utter disgust and contempt. The special effects are surprisingly good, considering it is 1957, and the ending is clever--I didn't expect it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The ultimate sea battle!
Review: This is a classic war movie. What makes it unique is that it is a battle fought at sea between two excellent sea Captains. Kurt Jurgens is the German U-Boat Commander and Robert Mitchum is the U.S. Destroyer Captain who's job it is to sink the U-Boat before the U-Boat sinks his ship.

This is a movie that is intelligent and realistic. Both Captains are involved in a deadly game of wits and tactics. Both Captains know the sea very well and both develop great respect and fear for each other's capabilities to sink one another. A fine supporting cast enhances this movie as well. Jurgens is the U-Boat Commander who has no love of "Der Fuhrer" Adolf Hitler, but does have the utmost loyaltly towards his Fatherland, his U-Boat and his crew. Mitchum portrays a newly assigned Captain of a Destroyer who trusts his crew and his own decisions.

Both Captains play the ultimate game of "Cat and Mouse" on each other. Neither are winners, one definitely loses more, yet both have gained utmost respect and understanding of each other.

This is a classic movie that has it all. Suspense, an intelligent plot and outstanding acting.

Highly recommended!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Guerra electronica real
Review: "The enemy below" es una película de guerra poco usual. A pesar de estar rodada en los 50, muestra con gran realismo las acciones de guerra electrónica que enfrentan en el Atlántico a un destructor norteamericano y un submarino alemán. Las tácticas de uno y otro son complejas, con los aciertos y errores de cada uno. No existe la simplificación de otras películas o los escarceos ajenos a la acción belica, pero los personajes son en todo momento seres humanos: no superhombres, sino personas enfrentadas a una situación critica en la que ponen lo mejor de sí mismos, con sus virtudes y defectos. El final es asimismo realista, no sólo en el desenlace del combate, sino también en el respeto que se muestran ambos comandantes, los cuales se reconocen con sólo mirarse.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Why is this movie like U-571?
Review: There was a lot of flak about _U-571_ because that movie fictionalizes the seizure of an ENIGMA machine from a U-boat... combining two real events involving BRITISH sailors and ships (the capture of the U-505 being almost irrelevant to the ENIGMA story).

No (previous) reviewer had mentioned that _The Enemy Below_ is based on a novel of the same name ... involving a BRITISH destroyer hunting a U-boat. The movie tracks very well with that novel, other than some cultural changes for the US crew of the US ship. Therefore I think that Leonard Maltin may have it wrong when he says this is essentially a remake of a 1930's movie. I believe it really is an Americanization of the (early 1950s) British novel.

Yes, the (original) _Star Trek_ episode "Balance of Terror" is based on this movie. Both are gripping and suspenseful, and have memorable moments.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It is one of the best, period.
Review: Firstly, this flick has two macho dudes in their prime in two believable roles.

If you have never seen this before, you are in for an enjoyable 90 or so minutes.

If you have ever been at sea, especially in the U.S. Navy on one of their destroyers, you will appreciate the way the sea looks.For my money, the best part (and there are NO bad parts) is the improbable, but not impossible, ending.

See it if you can...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ahad Stalks the Great Whale -- A German U-Boat
Review: I think this is an excellent 50's movie. Robert Mitchum, the Captain of the US destroyer escort, is tracking a U-Boat commanded by Kurt Jurgens. Mitchum is not seem at first and remains a shadowy figure to the crew. Like Huston's MOBY DICK this approach works, but Ahad's crew knew Ahad. Mitchum's crew wonders if he knows what is doing since he is new to the ship. Like Ahad both have suffered by the prey they seek. Like MOBY DICK both hunter and the hunted will suffer from a series of escalating and violent confrontations. When Mitchum does appear it is clear he does know his business as Jurgens soon discovers, but Jurgens has some surprises as well. This story was lifted for one of the best STAR TREK television episodes in its first year.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dive into this good submarine drama
Review: There is a fairly extensive sub-category of war movies - submarine battles - within which movies made in the 1950's are highly regarded. THE ENEMY BELOW is not up to the standards of RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP but is better than TORPEDO RUN. It is also different that both those movies. Where they use a dramatic human interest story as the main plot line, this movie has a narrow focus on what you would expect from a film about a sub battle. The emphasis is on the chase, the strategy, the cunning and wiles of both commanders - US destroyer Captain Murrell (Robert Mitchum) and veteran German U-Boat commander Von Stolberg (Curt Jurgens). The drama is in changing fortunes - now who is the hunter and the hunted? Both of the main characters are well developed, and while there are differences in behavior, motivation, and naturally, stategy, the movie also shows clearly that as professional sailors they recognize and appreciate the good qualities in their opposites. As such this movie is memorable for the fact that Germans are not demonized or simply stereotyped as Nazis.

It's a well directed movie, with excellent moments of suspense, good acting in some key supporting roles - Lt Ware (David Hedison). The only let down is with some very obvious models in some of the battle scenes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Best!
Review: This suspenseful World War II movie, one of the best naval war films made, follows an American submarine in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens are wonderful.--Diana Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."


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