The Enemy Below
Directed by Dick Powell
Written by Wendell Mayes from a novel by D.A. Rayner
1957/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
Captain Murrell: I have no idea what he is, what he thinks. I don’t want to know the man I’m… trying to destroy.
A cat and mouse game between two expert mariners makes an entertaining combat film.
The action takes place in 1943, somewhere in the South Atlantic. The USS Haynes has a new commander, Capt. Murrell (Robert Mitchum). The men think he must be a “feather sailor”, since he takes a long time to emerge from his quarters. Murrell is a veteran of the merchant marine and quickly disabuses them of this idea when a blip appears on the radar. He determines it to be a U-boat and sets about trying to destroy the enemy while not allowing the U-boat to discover his destroyer.
The U-boat is commanded by hardened veteran Captain Van Stolberg (Curd Jürgens). The two match wits and develop a respect for their unseen rivals over a 24 hour period. Each appears to be one step ahead of the other. Can either prevail?
This features two good performances by the leads, a tight script and some nice battle sequences. The German commander is made disillusioned and human. Worth watching for fans of the genre.
The Enemy Below won the Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects.
Trailer
