Run Silent Run Deep

Clark Gable plays "Rich" Richardson, a submarine commander whose previous boat had been sunk. He's subsequently given a new sub to command, and a new XO in Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster). While back at sea, he's itching for some payback, and disobeys direct orders from his superiors to avoid a certain area. Soon, the commander and the crew will find themselves stalked by a stealthy enemy.

What's truly impressive about "Run Silent Run Deep" is how utterly convincing it is. The filmmakers, led by the talented director Robert Wise, were sticklers for accuracy, and everything looks and sounds authentic. There's no melodrama to be found here, nor is there any bloat: the film clocks in at a reasonable one hour and 33 minutes. All of the tension is genuine, and the storytelling is done in an efficient, no-frills style. Franz Waxmans' score is excellent, but the absolute best scene comes late in the film when score and sound effects are dropped out. The suspense then becomes extremely palpable.

Lancaster, a star who subscribed to the theory of balancing projects done for artistic reasons and ones done for commercial reasons, delivers a wonderful low key performance as the lieutenant who doubts his commanders' ability to lead but never oversteps his boundaries. Gable is appropriately intense, and these two men get a good odd couple chemistry going as their characters butt heads. The top notch supporting cast are all 100% believable: Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Don Rickles (who does have some amusing moments), Nick Cravat, Joe Maross, Eddie Foy III, and Rudy Bond.

Even for a film released 57 years ago, the special effects are reasonable and don't distract from the scenario one bit.

This is a very fine example of the war / submarine genre.

Eight out of 10.

A destroyer is relatively small, slim and can easily dodge torpedoes. They proved to be the death of many submarines in WWII. Destroyers were used as escorts screening supply convoys, merchant shipping, capital battleships, aircraft carriers and oil tankers. Their most effective weapons against submarines were the sonar and depth charges.

Commander Richardson (Clark Gable) lost a submarine under his command after firing torpedoes at a Japanese troop and supply convoy. The Japanese destroyer simply run down his submarine as it struggled to submerge. Not quickly enough though as it was split in two. Tragically, Richardson lost some of his men. He was demoted to a desk job and earned the reputation of a loser among sailors.

The experience led him to devise a tactic on how to escape after torpedoing an enemy ship. He figured that it was not enough to run away from a destroyer because it can easily hunt his sub down with sonar and depth charges. The pursuing destroyer must be sunk. How? It moves so much faster than a submarine that it is impossible to hit it broadside. It also dropped depth charges as it circled the submarine in an ever tightening "noose" maneuver.

Richardson thought that if a sub charged a destroyer head on firing torpedoes as it submerged, the enemy ship can be hit on the bow sharp. This calls for speed, precision timing and perfect aim. So he drove his men to exhaustion and frustration as he made them do a new drill for the special maneuver he had in mind. The scenario was this: Fire torpedoes at an enemy aircraft carrier, tanker or whatnot. Then as a destroyer gives chase, instead of submerging at once and running away, the sub will charge the destroyer head on as in a game of "chicken." At this position, the destroyer cannot yet make effective use of its depth charges as they are released at the stern. The front guns of the destroyer are also at an awkward elevation in relation to the sub lying low in the water. The sub may have enough time to fire at least one torpedo or at the most two before it is rammed by the destroyer. The trick then is to fire while submerging at the same time. Remember, this was in the days when torpedoes had no teleguidance and the sub's commander and crew relied entirely on their instinct for the right buoyancy, depth, speed and angle of descent as they submerged as to when to fire the torpedoes at the critical moment for the proper aim. I am curious as to whether this was actually done in WWII.

It was bad enough that Richardson's men resented him but his own XO, Lt. Bledsoe, whom he edged out of command of the submarine by using his connections, also hated him with a passion viewing his drills and new tactic as criminally dangerous and unworkable.

If you liked this movie, watch The Enemy Below starring Robert Mitchum and Kurt Jurgens for a better understanding of submarine vs. destroyer warfare.

The interaction between Gable and Lancaster is something to behold. That and the story, the tension and the realism of men under attack. Yes, the special effects are not to the "high" standards of today, but they serve the story well and do not detract from the important drama. As one poster said, this movie would be ill served in color as would Das Boot in B&W. An overall excellent adaptation of the book and as far as the points not explained, all the better. I hate movies that stop the action to then explain to a character what that character is about to experience/see/do, etc. Give the movie goer credit for being able to fill in the gaps. A must have for any WWII movie collection.

This is a wonderful movie depicting the experience of one United States Navy submarine during the Second World War. The "Silent Service" never looked better.

It is filmed in black and white, which is (possibly) a salute to the "Victory at Sea" series of a few years before, but this film would not work as well in color (in contrast with "Das Boot," which would not work as well in black and white). Like "Das Boot," the sets are realistic and give the viewer an intimate feeling of the claustrophobia that existed on these small subs.

The script is excellent, although I have one recommendation: Try to watch this film in a "closed caption" mode. I hear fine, but when I watched it a second time in closed captioned, I picked up even more, particularly the names of the crew.

Gable and Lancaster are a little too old for the roles they are playing. But, this is a small complaint in comparison to their remarkable performances. It's easy to think of Gable as "Rhett Butler," no more and no less, but this film illustrates what a very fine actor he was. Lancaster is excellent, and gives a preview of his Oscar-winning turn in "Elmer Gantry," just a year or two later.

This is an old-fashioned film made with the able assistance of the U.S. Navy, and one cannot help but feeling a little pride in our nation and gratitude for our brave WW II veterans, after watching it. Highly recommended.

A good story and good performances from good actors leads inevitably to a really good movie, and that's what you get with this movie set on an American submarine patrolling Japanese waters during World War II.

Clark Gable plays Commander P.J. Richardson, reduced to a desk job at Naval headquarters in Pearl Harbor after the submarine he commanded was sunk by the Japanese. After another sub returns to base needing a new captain, Richardson convinces the brass to give him another shot, and he sets out on a quest for revenge, seeking the ship that shot his first sub out from under him. Among other challenges, Richardson has to put up with the wounded ego of his Executive Officer, Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) who believed the command should have been given to him, and with the hostility of the crew, who would have preferred Bledsoe.

The story of Richardson's quest for revenge, of his efforts to gain the trust of his crew and of his ultimate fate is full of suspense and you will not find your attention wandering at any point of this movie. It is an excellent story, well worth watching.

8/10