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The Enemy Below

The Enemy Below

War · 1957

The crew of the American destroyer escort, the USS Haynes, detects a German U-Boat—resulting in a prolonged, deadly battle of wits.

Movie details

The Enemy Below

“The most amazing saga in the fighting annals of the US Navy!”

1957 War 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

The crew of the American destroyer escort, the USS Haynes, detects a German U-Boat—resulting in a prolonged, deadly battle of wits.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Enemy Below?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Action in the North Atlantic

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Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.

Destination Tokyo

Destination Tokyo

War · 1943

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Midway

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Run Silent, Run Deep

Run Silent, Run Deep

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The captain of a submarine sunk by the Japanese during WWII is finally given a chance to skipper another sub after a year of working a desk job. His singleminded determination for revenge against the destroyer that sunk his previous vessel puts his new crew in unneccessary danger.

Sink the Bismarck!

Sink the Bismarck!

War · 1960

The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen—during the early days of World War II. The Bismarck and her sister ship, Tirpitz, were the most powerful battleships in the European theater of World War II. The British Navy must find and destroy Bismarck before it can escape into the convoy lanes to inflict severe damage on the cargo shipping which was the lifeblood of the British Isles. With eight 15 inch guns, it was capable of destroying every ship in a convoy while remaining beyond the range of all Royal Navy warships.

K-19: The Widowmaker

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In Which We Serve

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Midway

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The Battle of the River Plate

The Battle of the River Plate

Drama · 1956

In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Dick Powell

Written by

Wendell Mayes

Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum

Capt. Murrell

Curd Jürgens

Curd Jürgens

Kapitän von Stolberg

David Hedison

David Hedison

Lt. Ware

Theodore Bikel

Theodore Bikel

Heinie Schwaffer

Russell Collins

Russell Collins

Doctor

Kurt Kreuger

Kurt Kreuger

Von Holem (uncredited)

Frank Albertson

Frank Albertson

Lt. J.G. Crain

Court is in session

Put The Enemy Below on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.