Rating: 
Summary: Battle of Wills
Review: Sailing on the high seas in his destroyer, the new captain encounters a submarine. His wife having been killed in a ship sunk by a torpedo, Capt. Murrell (Robert Mitchum) has a special distaste for submarines. He immediately gives chase and attempts to destroy the submarine. Capt. Von Stolberg (Curt Jürgens) is a U-boat commander on a mission, and initially he sees the destroyer as more of a nuisance than a real threat. We quickly learn the answer to the question asked by members of Murrell's crew, does the new captain know what he is doing? We learn at the same time the crew does that Capt. Murrell knows submarine tactics. It is soon after we learn that Capt. Murrell knows what he is doing that Von Stolberg also learns the same thing. Now the chess game becomes serious.
We learn a lot about both Murrell and Von Stolberg as the movie progresses. Von Stolberg cares little for Nazis and Hitler, an attitude typical among German submariners during World War II. Von Stolberg is tired and anxious for the war to end. While Murrell is just trying to do his job, you can sense equal measures of revenge and perhaps just a touch of regret that war and killing is necessary at all. While he is very matter-of-fact as he chases the submarine, he does so without enjoyment. At times I thought he was even a little sad that the conflict was necessary. Von Stolberg too is distressed regarding the feinting of the two craft. He wants to make his rendezvous, he wants to go home.
As the story develops we gain a deep respect for these two men as the scenes switch between the two characters. We realize that while there must be a resolution, we too would rather the two ships go their own way, especially since we know the war must be near an end.
The special effects are somewhat spotty. The interior views of the submarine and the destroyer are quite good. The exterior views of the destroyer and submarine are generally good, but there are some exceptions. Fortunately, the cinematography and skill of the director allows us to overlook the small flaws in the special effects, particularly as the movie draws to an exciting conclusion that makes us wonder whether either captain will survive the encounter.
It may be somewhat difficult for most to put themselves in the position of a World War II submariner without having seen one of these boats. Fortunately there are several on display in various places around the country. Once you realize how tiny and cramped submarines were in that era, you wonder at the fear of men under attack from above, particularly after the invention of sonar. They can hear everything from the drop of depth charges to the horrendous explosion they make, yet, they can do nothing. Learn how small these submarines are and you will appreciate this movie even more.
Also worthy to note in this movie is the presence of several well-known actors. David Hedison, later to be on the bridge of the Seaview in the television series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," plays Murrell's executive officer. Theodore Bikel, character actor in numerous movies, plays Von Stolberg's second in command. Well down in the credits is future "Virginian" star and movie star Doug McClure. A number of other actors had extensive future careers at the time of their appearance in this movie.
This movie is one of the best of the movies about World War II. The movie portrays the lengthy battle between a submarine and destroyer quite well. More importantly, the movie focuses on the two captains and their mixed feelings about the combat. This movie is worthy of having in any war movie collection or any collection that emphasizes conflict between two characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Taut WW II Submarine Thriller.
Review: With so many other (mostly positive) reviews for "The Enemy Below", I will try to keep my comments brief. This is a fine World War II thriller set in the south Atlantic, with a US Navy destroyer and a German U-boat hunting one another in a deadly game of nautical chess. It was released theatrically in 1957.
Robert Mitchum stars as the destroyer captain, with a major chip on his shoulder towards German submarines. A previous ship he was travelling on was torpedoed--he survived--his wife did not. As usual, we have one of Mr. Mitchum's excellent performances--tough as nails, but all too human at the same time. His adversary, the U-boat captain, is played by Curt Jurgens--this role is the more difficult of the two, and Mr. Jurgens is quite marvellous. This German is a decent human being, trying to do his "job", hating the war and especially the man who is destroying Germany and its people--Adolf Hitler. Mr. Jurgens simply wants to get home, with his crew and boat in one piece. This is no cartoon Nazi--just a human being caught up in war, like the rest of the men on his submarine.
Since both captains are extremely intelligent and experienced seamen, their "duel" becomes a fascinating exercise for the audience, with liberal amounts of suspense and action. Director Dick Powell does an excellent job--he would re-team with Robert Mitchum a year later for "The Hunters", a fine Korean War aviation film ( also reviewed by yours truly ).
The supporting cast is fine--Al (soon to be David) Hedison is Mr. Mitchum's patrician second-in-command--his opposite number on the U-boat is played by multi-talented Theodore Bikel. You will also spot a very young Doug McClure on board the destroyer.
Fox has given us a beautiful, wide-screen picture--the colours are fine. There are only a few extras--a trailer and a news clip. I must express my surprise though at the mistake on the cover of the DVD--other reviewers have noticed this too. The cover is supposed to depict the two main adversaries in the film--Mr. Mitchum is there--but the other profile is certainly not Curt Jurgens. Both of these fine actors have passed on. Surely, with one of Mr. Jurgens' best performances in "The Enemy Below", he deserves more respect than this ! ?
I only gave "The Enemy Below" four stars because, if I give it five, what would I give "Das Boot", the best submarine film ever made ? Still--if you like World War II action thrillers with two great stars at the top of their game, this DVD must be in your collection. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Enemy Below
Review: Dick Powell had to have had one of the most interesting careers in Hollywood history. He started out as a golden-throated pretty boy actor, made a successful mid-career shift to hard boiled roles like Philip Marlowe and then, for good measure, directed a handful of movies, including the submarine action picture THE ENEMY BELOW.
THE ENEMY BELOW is a 100% action movie, without any distracting romantic sub-plot or comic relief crew members. Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens are excellent as the American destroyer commander and U-boat commander who cross paths in the Atlantic Ocean and engage in a deadly hunt. With a few exceptions the models are realistically rendered and convincing. This is one of the best war movies out there, and maybe the best navy movie available. I strongly recommend it to action fans.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific, tense war thriller with strong performances
Review: "The Enemy Below" benefits from an unconventional performance and writing that makes it stand out from the pack of World War II films produced int he same era. Robert Mitchum plays the commander of an American destroyer and Curt Jergens as the commander of a German U-boat. They're stalking each other at sea playing a high stakes game of chess with each man carefully considering each move and countermove. Mitchum's commander may be a bit layed back compared to some but it's what keeps his men devoted him to him. Jergens plays his captain as someone who is doing his duty but doesn't believe in the Nazi cause. Director Dick Powell's first film(who also did the well regarded "The Hunters" also featuring Mitchum and Robert Wagner about Korean War pilots stranded in enemy territory)keeps things suspenseful and taunt by confining his action sequences to the ships. Since we don't really see the outside world beyond the commanders' worlds, we feel as if we're on the boats with them. The Oscar winning optical effects involving the miniatures for both ships (as well as live action footage shot on very, very convincing sets)still looks pretty convincing even in our digital age. Water is one of the most difficult things to shot in miniature because the water beading up on the surface or the wakes generated by the ships don't get any smaller, hence it tends to give away the illusion if you're not careful. There's no notable extras beyond some previews but the glorious widescreen presentation and Deluxe color vividly reproduces the original theatrical experience. There's few of the analog blemishes one might expect. The use of a dual layered disc means the film looks natural with few of the pixel problems when a film is compressed incorrectly.
Rating:
Summary: The Defining Submarine Movie. Taut and plenty of action!
Review: This is the movie that sets the standard for submarine movies. Made in the late 1950s, "The Enemy Below" has aged very nicely, and is still just as enjoyable as it was when it first came out. This is a tough, taut film of warfare at sea. Robert Mitchum puts in a superb performance as the no-nonsense, competent American destroyer skipper. Kurt Jurgens is excellent as the thoughtful and professional German U-Boat commander. The story is simple. In the South Atlantic, the American destroyer detects the German U-Boat, and has a mission to destroy it. The U-Boat has a mission which requires it to slip away from its American pursuer. The two highly experienced captains must seek to read the mind and guess the intentions and actions of the other in a complicated chess game. All of this makes for an excellent story. The German commander (Jurgens) is shown to be a non-Nazi and a humane thoughtful man. He fights because he is a professional, despite his belief that he is fighting "...a bad war." Since this film was made at the height of the cold war, one suspects that there is an element of reconciliation in the story--the notion that although Americans and Germans were enemies in WW2, they were going to be able to reconcile once the war was over. The story has this thread throughout. I don't wish to give away the story, and more would be telling. Suffice to say that this is an absorbing flick that achieves its goal: it entertains. This is one of the classic submarine flicks. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch war movie!
Review: This is much more than a simply war film. Both fighters play hard in a huge chess game sea stage.
The different logistic strategies and attack in the stunning minds of both leaders in every side . Curt Jurgens and Robert Mitchum are first rate . A fine script and cult movie that deservedly won an Academy Award by best special effects in 1957!
This movie even will work out as a magnificent example of leadership and management ; the movie didn?t age a bit.
A must in your collection!
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