Submarine films
by DouxM | created - 20 Nov 2017 | updated - 26 Jan 2023 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill
Votes: 214,642 | Gross: $122.01M
2. Das Boot (1981)
R | 149 min | Drama, War
A German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
Votes: 264,233 | Gross: $11.49M
3. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
PG-13 | 138 min | Drama, History, Thriller
When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Harrison Ford, Sam Spruell, Peter Stebbings, Christian Camargo
Votes: 67,378 | Gross: $35.17M
4. Submarine X-1 (1968)
G | 89 min | Action, Drama, War
During World War II, the British Royal Navy used experimental midget submarines to raid German warships in Norway.
Director: William A. Graham | Stars: James Caan, David Sumner, Norman Bowler, Brian Grellis
Votes: 737
5. Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
Approved | 93 min | Action, Drama, War
A U.S. sub commander, obsessed with sinking a certain Japanese ship, butts heads with his first officer and crew.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter
Votes: 13,104
6. Crimson Tide (1995)
R | 116 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
On a U.S. nuclear missile sub, a young First Officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy Captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, Matt Craven, George Dzundza
Votes: 123,248 | Gross: $91.40M
7. In Enemy Hands (2004)
R | 94 min | Drama, Thriller, War
When American submarine Swordfish is torpedoed the survivors are picked up by a passing German U-boat but an outbreak of meningitis threatens all aboard.
Director: Tony Giglio | Stars: William H. Macy, Til Schweiger, Thomas Kretschmann, Clark Gregg
Votes: 4,549
8. The Enemy Below (1957)
Approved | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander.
Director: Dick Powell | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, David Hedison, Theodore Bikel
Votes: 12,245
9. Crash Dive (1943)
Approved | 106 min | Drama, Romance, War
A submarine lieutenant and his commander fall in love with the same girl.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, James Gleason
Votes: 1,749
10. Up Periscope (1959)
Approved | 112 min | Action, Drama, Romance
In 1942, Navy Lieutenant Kenneth Braden from the underwater demolition team is sent to a Japanese island to photograph secret radio codes.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr.
Votes: 2,252
11. Down Periscope (1996)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy
Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton
Votes: 26,676 | Gross: $25.79M
12. Torpedo Alley (1952)
84 min | Drama
Carrier pilot Lieutenant Bob Bingham (Mark Stevens) is rescued at sea by a submarine after he freezes at the controls and crashes, killing his two crewmen. He returns to civilian life but ... See full summary »
Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Mark Stevens, Dorothy Malone, Charles Winninger, Bill Williams
Votes: 184
13. Full Fathom Five (1990)
PG | 82 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Adapted from the best-selling novel. Navy Captain Peter Mackenzie is sent on his toughest assignment when the Soviet nuclear submarine Kirov is stolen and the weapons are aimed at the United States.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Michael Moriarty, Maria Rangel, Todd Field, Michael Cavanaugh
Votes: 163 | Gross: $0.31M
14. The Hunley (1999 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 94 min | Action, Drama, History
During the siege of Charleston of 1864, Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley becomes the first submersible to sink an enemy warship in wartime.
Director: John Gray | Stars: Armand Assante, Donald Sutherland, Alex Jennings, Chris Bauer
Votes: 1,306
15. U-571 (2000)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, War
A German submarine is boarded by disguised American submariners trying to capture their Enigma cipher machine.
Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi
Votes: 87,373 | Gross: $77.09M
16. Operation Petticoat (1959)
Approved | 124 min | Comedy, Romance, War
During World War II, a commander finds himself stuck with a decrepit (and pink) submarine, a con man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill
Votes: 15,865 | Gross: $23.30M
17. Destination Tokyo (1943)
Passed | 135 min | Adventure, War
In order to provide information for the first air raid over Tokyo, a U.S. submarine sneaks into Tokyo Bay and places a spy team ashore.
Director: Delmer Daves | Stars: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, John Ridgely
Votes: 5,751
18. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
G | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre
Votes: 37,148 | Gross: $28.20M
19. Submarine Command (1951)
Approved | 87 min | Drama, War
Submarine commander Ken White reminisces about his wartime years aboard submarine USS Tiger Shark and struggles with feelings of personal guilt.
Director: John Farrow | Stars: William Holden, Nancy Olson, William Bendix, Don Taylor
Votes: 682
20. Gray Lady Down (1978)
PG | 111 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A Navy Captain uses his experimental Snark to reach a nuclear submarine stuck on an ocean ledge.
Director: David Greene | Stars: Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty
Votes: 3,533
21. Black Sea (2014)
R | 114 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall
Votes: 40,852 | Gross: $1.17M
22. Hell Below (1933)
Passed | 101 min | Romance, Drama, War
In 1918, U.S. Navy Lt. Tommy Knowlton participates in dangerous submarine missions, disobeys orders, gets court-martialed and romances a married woman who happens to be his C.O.'s daughter.
Director: Jack Conway | Stars: Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Jimmy Durante
Votes: 560
23. On the Beach (1959)
Approved | 134 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
After a global nuclear war, the residents of Australia must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins
Votes: 14,403 | Gross: $11.00M
24. 72 metra (2004)
115 min | Drama, Action, Thriller
Every second is precious for a Russian submarine crew, as they are stranded 72 meters below the ocean's surface.
Director: Vladimir Khotinenko | Stars: Sergey Makovetskiy, Marat Basharov, Andrey Krasko, Dmitriy Ulyanov
Votes: 1,770
25. Operation Disaster (1950)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, History, War
The crew of a submarine is trapped on the sea floor when it sinks. How can they be rescued before they run out of air?
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: John Mills, Nigel Patrick, Peter Hammond, Andrew Crawford
Votes: 848
26. Hellcats of the Navy (1957)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama, Thriller, War
The daring exploits of a submarine commander whose mission is to chart the minefields in the waters of Japan during World War II.
Director: Nathan Juran | Stars: Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Arthur Franz, Robert Arthur
Votes: 1,150
27. Below (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Mystery
Strange happenings occur on a WW II submarine.
Director: David Twohy | Stars: Bruce Greenwood, David Crow, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany
Votes: 24,118 | Gross: $0.61M
28. Murphy's War (1971)
GP | 107 min | Drama, War
A lone survivor from a British naval ship is obsessed with getting revenge on a German U-boat crew that massacred his shipmates in the water.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret, Horst Janson
Votes: 3,940 | Gross: $0.21M
29. Hell and High Water (1954)
Approved | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Cold War, a scientific team refits a Japanese submarine and hires an ex-Navy officer to find a secret Chinese atomic island base and prevent a Communist plot against America that could trigger WW3.
Director: Samuel Fuller | Stars: Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen, Cameron Mitchell
Votes: 2,231
30. Ice Station Zebra (1968)
G | 148 min | Adventure, Thriller
USN nuclear sub USS Tigerfish must rush to the North Pole to rescue the staff of Drift Ice Station Zebra weather station.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown
Votes: 11,867
31. Above Us the Waves (1955)
Approved | 92 min | Drama, War
The attack by British submarines on the German battleship "Tirpitz" in a Norwegian fjord during World War II.
Director: Ralph Thomas | Stars: John Mills, John Gregson, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice
Votes: 1,629
32. The Bedford Incident (1965)
Approved | 102 min | Drama, Thriller
An American destroyer Captain is determined to confront a Soviet submarine caught violating territorial waters. Perhaps too determined.
Director: James B. Harris | Stars: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam
Votes: 5,971
33. We Dive at Dawn (1943)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Drama, War
All leave is cancelled so that a British submarine can be sent after a new German warship. They chase it so far that they have no fuel to get home.
Director: Anthony Asquith | Stars: John Mills, Louis Bradfield, Ronald Millar, Jack Watling
Votes: 1,700
34. Torpedo Run (1958)
Approved | 98 min | Drama, War
A submarine commander is forced to blow up a Japanese ship with prisoners.
Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster, Dean Jones
Votes: 2,541
35.
Screen One (1985–2002)
Episode:
Hostile Waters
(1997)
PG | 94 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In October 1986, a Soviet submarine carrying nuclear missles collides with an American nuclear submarine off the coast of Bermuda.
Director: David Drury | Stars: Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen, Max von Sydow, Colm Feore
Votes: 2,177
36. Mystery Submarine (1962)
92 min | Adventure, Drama, War
During WWII, the British Royal Navy uses a captured German submarine to trick the enemy and protect their supply convoy.
Director: C.M. Pennington-Richards | Stars: Edward Judd, James Robertson Justice, Laurence Payne, Joachim Fuchsberger
Votes: 74
37. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 210,884 | Gross: $24.01M
38. SeaQuest 2032 (1993–1996)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Family
In the early 21st century, mankind has colonized the oceans. The United Earth Oceans Organization enlists Captain Nathan Bridger and the submarine seaQuest DSV to keep the peace and explore the last frontier on Earth.
Stars: Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin, Ted Raimi, Darwin
Votes: 7,771
39. The Atomic Submarine (1959)
Not Rated | 72 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Ships mysteriously disappear on route across the Arctic Sea, and a specially-equipped submarine is sent to investigate.
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet | Stars: Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Tom Conway
Votes: 1,836
40. Submarine Base (1943)
Approved | 65 min | Drama
Ship engineer Jim Taggert is rescued from a torpedoed tramp steamer by Joe Morgan, an American gangster that found New York too hot for him, and has become a fisherman operating from an ... See full summary »
Director: Albert H. Kelley | Stars: John Litel, Alan Baxter, Eric Blore, Georges Metaxa
Votes: 226
41. The Fifth Missile (1986 TV Movie)
150 min | Drama, Thriller
The crew of a Trident missile submarine, on a training mission simulating an attack on Russia, is stricken by toxic poisoning. One of the poison's effects is to make its victims hallucinate... See full summary »
Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Robert Conrad, Sam Waterston, Richard Roundtree, Jonathan Banks
Votes: 162
42. Ghostboat (2006 TV Movie)
180 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A British Sub goes missing at the end of WWII, leaving only one survivor. Everyone believes it lost to the bottom of the Baltic Sea, then 40 years later it reappears without a crew. The ... See full summary »
Director: Stuart Orme | Stars: David Jason, Ian Puleston-Davies, Tony Haygarth, Julian Wadham
Votes: 486
43. Mystery Submarine (1950)
Approved | 78 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Posing as an ex-German medical officer, a U.S. Navy intelligence officer sets out to rescue a kidnapped scientist and sink a German submarine hiding off the coast of South America.
Director: Douglas Sirk | Stars: Macdonald Carey, Märta Torén, Robert Douglas, Carl Esmond
Votes: 191
44. U-Boat 29 (1939)
77 min | Thriller, War
A German submarine is sent to the Orkney Isles in 1917 to sink the British fleet.
Director: Michael Powell | Stars: Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Sebastian Shaw, Marius Goring
Votes: 2,457
45. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968)
TV-G | 52 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
The submarine Seaview is commissioned to investigate the mysteries of the seas. Usually it finds more problems than answers...
Stars: Richard Basehart, David Hedison, Robert Dowdell, Del Monroe
Votes: 4,203
46. The Rift (1990)
R | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
Siren II, a submarine under the command of Capt. Phillips, ventures into the deep on a mission to recover the missing Siren I. Their quest is hindered when the submarine becomes entangled in a patch of toxic seaweed.
Director: Juan Piquer Simón | Stars: Jack Scalia, R. Lee Ermey, Ray Wise, Deborah Adair
Votes: 2,762
47. The Abyss (1989)
PG-13 | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A civilian diving team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester
Votes: 193,118 | Gross: $54.46M
48. Around the World Under the Sea (I) (1966)
G | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The crew of a five-man submarine travels the world oceans, planting sensors on the ocean floor to warn scientists of any impending earthquakes.
Director: Andrew Marton | Stars: Lloyd Bridges, Shirley Eaton, Brian Kelly, David McCallum
Votes: 963
49. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 95 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
In the 19th century, an expert marine biologist is hired by the government to determine what's sinking ships all over the ocean. His daughter follows him. They are intercepted by a mysterious captain Nemo and his incredible submarine.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: Richard Crenna, Ben Cross, Julie Cox, Paul Gross
Votes: 1,040
50. 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2007 Video)
Not Rated | 86 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Captain Nemo goes even deeper into insanity in this mesmerizing fantasy tale. Once again at the helm of his fearsome, wildly advanced vessel, the nautical madman endeavors to turn the world above the waves upside down.
Director: Gabriel Bologna | Stars: Lorenzo Lamas, Sean Lawlor, Natalie Stone, Kim Little
Votes: 1,787
51. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
Passed | 85 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A French professor and his daughter accompany Captain Nemo on an adventure aboard a submarine.
Director: Stuart Paton | Stars: Allen Holubar, Dan Hanlon, Edna Pendleton, Curtis Benton
Votes: 1,985 | Gross: $8.00M
52. Hunter Killer (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Thriller
An untested American submarine captain teams with U.S. Navy Seals to rescue the Russian president, who has been kidnapped by a rogue general.
Director: Donovan Marsh | Stars: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Linda Cardellini
Votes: 73,504 | Gross: $15.77M
53. Sub Down (1997 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 93 min | Drama
A team of scientists are accompanying the crew of a nuclear submarine in the arctic. When a disaster at sea sinks the nuclear sub, these scientists (and their mini submersible) become the crew's only hope for survival.
Director: Gregg Champion | Stars: Stephen Baldwin, Gabrielle Anwar, Tom Conti, Chris Mulkey
Votes: 762
54. The Command (2018)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The 2000 K-141 Kursk submarine disaster is followed by governmental negligence. As the sailors fight for survival, their families desperately battle political obstacles and impossible odds to save them.
Director: Thomas Vinterberg | Stars: Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, Peter Simonischek, August Diehl
Votes: 21,438
55. The Wolf's Call (2019)
TV-14 | 115 min | Action, Thriller
In the near future, a French submarine finds itself in a crisis situation.
Director: Antonin Baudry | Stars: François Civil, Omar Sy, Mathieu Kassovitz, Reda Kateb
Votes: 21,079
56. Torpedo (2019)
102 min | Action, Adventure, History
Resistance fighters led by commander Stan must transport a stolen German submarine carrying uranium to America during WWII while evading German forces determined to sink the U-boat.
Director: Sven Huybrechts | Stars: Koen De Bouw, Thure Riefenstein, Ella-June Henrard, Joren Seldeslachts
Votes: 2,935
57. Sensuikan I-57 kôfuku sezu (1959)
104 min | War
A story set in the time of WWII about one of the most famous Japansese submarines fighting through hardships to achieve its final goal
Director: Shûe Matsubayashi | Stars: Ryô Ikebe, Tatsuya Mihashi, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Kubo
Votes: 25
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