A fast-paced war film classic from 1958, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP is still a tense, terrific submarine thriller loaded with star power.
Clark Gable (Gone With the Wind) is Cmdr. Rich Richardson, a sub commander obsessed with tracking down and destroying the Japanese ship that blew his last sub apart in enemy waters.
Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry, Airport) is Lt. Jim Bledsoe, suddenly second in command to Richardson and worried that the senior man's revenge puts the entire crew in jeopardy.
Don Rickles has his first film role as a Quartermaster and Jack Warden (Heaven Can Wait) is Richardson's loyal yeoman.
Director Robert Wise (The Haunting, West Side Story, The Sound of Music) keeps the action suspenseful and claustrophobic.
Based on a novel by a real life sub commander, its an authentic view of the Bungo Straits, one of the most dangerous sections of international waters during WW2.
Gable was ill during filming and looks a bit old for the role, but in reality almost the entire cast is too old for their parts!
An old fashioned war movie that still holds up, it's 90 minutes of black and white, underwater chess moves with heavy patriotic themes and authentic surroundings.
In reality, Gable and Lancaster didn't get along at all, which serves the tension of their relationship well.
A favorite of my Dads and a film that we watched numerous times together, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP gets a nostalgic & enjoyable B.
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