The Enemy Below

List Price: $14.98 Buy For: $10.49
Usually ships in 24 hours


Add to Cart


Compare New & Used Prices From All Available Merchants:

Starring: Robert Mitchum
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Dick Powell
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 2004-05-25
It's Mitchum vs. Jurgens as the commanders of an American destroyer and a German U-boat play a deadly game of cat and mouse.

The Enemy Below
The Enemy Below is a sturdy WWII movie that stars Robert Mitchum & Curt Jurgens. Capt. Murrell (Mitchum) is the commander of an escort destroyer in the North Atlantic. This is Murrell's first command since losing a ship several weeks earlier. Instead of recuperating extensively in a hospital he has chosen to accept the command of another ship. We don't see Murrell for about the first ten minutes of the film; we do get to hear several of the sailors discussing their new skipper. In these few minutes we learn that there's some doubt among the sailors about the ability of Murrell. This all changes when the radar picks up an unidentified blip. Murrell takes charge immediately quickly establishing himself as a no nonsense, able commander.

Von Stolberg (Jurgens) is the commander of the German U-boat. He's on a mission to pick up a British code book that has been captured & return it to Germany. He's an experienced commander who has his private doubts about the war.

The film is essentially a cat & mouse story, a chess game between the two commanders. They're both experienced & care about their crews. Throughout the film both are thinking through their strategies trying to outwit & out guess the enemy's next move. They end up with a grudging respect for the other which is displayed in the film's final scenes.

The film is presented in a wide screen format & was produced & directed by Dick Powell. There are some bonus features that include the film's trailer, other Fox film War Classics, subtitles & audio tracks in French & Spanish. The film was nominated for one Academy Award, Best Special Effects, but didn't win.

If you enjoy action films this is a good one. It's also a thoughtful film that's done intelligently with only one caricature in the entire film.

The Enemy Below
A lot of World War II movies show how it was for U.S. Subs during that War. The Enemy Below reverses the normal and gives a look at the enemy in a sub being chased by an American Ship. It isn't the expected outcome but the action is good and the acting superb! It's a great movie.

The other side of the coin
Every submarine movie has the same things in it. Rig for silent running, the water leak that a crewman get under control by turning a valve, depth charges, emergency lighting, open outer torpedo tubes one and two, take her up to periscope depth, etc. Your always in the submarine lurking, surviving.
Not in this one. Your the guy on top. You are the guy on the surface ship and are one cool customer. Everybody is a good guy in this one just doing their job. I like this movie.

don't want to sub-stitute my thoughts
Many other reviewers also like this movie,and those reviewers in the top 500 have done a fine job in explaining the mind games that go on between the two captains and in explaining why those reviewers (and I) like this movie a lot. May I add that this movie also provides a nice look at the boredum, excitement, and I-need-to-do-my-duty that the crews experience. It's a viewing experience that immerses you in the situation, makes you believe it and live it, and you want to keep watching--nuff said. Watch it.

The Enemy Below
Great war movie showing that there are no victors in war and that men can still be humane even under the most difficult of circumstances.