Submarine movies
by Black_Yuki | created - 04 Dec 2021 | updated - 21 Jan 2023 | PublicThese are the best and most unique submarine movies in my opinion.
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1. 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: 12,255
2. 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: 5,979
3. 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: 13,116
4. 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: 264,403 | Gross: $11.49M
5. 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: 14,418 | Gross: $11.00M
6. 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: 1,701
7. 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: 11,883
8. 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: 123,368 | Gross: $91.40M
9. 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: 214,812 | Gross: $122.01M
10. On the Beach (2000 TV Movie)
195 min | Drama, 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: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Armand Assante, Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, Jacqueline McKenzie
Votes: 4,155
11. 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: 1,308
12. 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: 21,119
13. 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: 3,537
14. 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: 40,894 | Gross: $1.17M
15. 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
16. 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: 37,188 | Gross: $28.20M
17. Blue Submarine No. 6 (1998–2000)
Not Rated | 125 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
The once famous and well respected scientist Zorndyke has bred a new genre of living being, one that thrives on the oceans and lives to destroy humans. Zorndyke believes it is time that the... See full summary »
Stars: Basile, Hozumi Gôda, Thunderbird Dinwiddie, Tamara Mercer
Votes: 1,301
18. Screen One (1985–2002)
120 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Anthology of unconnected movies of different genres.
Stars: Mark Chapman, Alfred Molina, Julie Walters, Geraldine James
Votes: 139
Screen One had the "Hostile Waters" Movie with Rutger Hauer, Martin Sheen and Max von Sydow (S9E2).
19. 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: 15,876 | Gross: $23.30M
20. Greyhound (2020)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Drama, History
Several months after the U.S. entry into World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy commander must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by a German submarine wolf pack.
Director: Aaron Schneider | Stars: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Matt Helm
Votes: 114,902
21. Haie und kleine Fische (1957)
120 min | War, Drama
Four young German naval cadets begin their military service in 1940; only one of them will survive.
Director: Frank Wisbar | Stars: Hansjörg Felmy, Sabine Bethmann, Mady Rahl, Wolfgang Preiss
Votes: 201
22. 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
23. Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)
G | 105 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
When Captain Nemo saves the passengers of a sinking ship and takes them to his Utopian underwater city he discovers that not all of his guests agree to remain there forever.
Director: James Hill | Stars: Robert Ryan, Chuck Connors, Nanette Newman, Luciana Paluzzi
Votes: 1,806
24. 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: 73,633 | Gross: $15.77M
25. Operation Pacific (1951)
Approved | 111 min | Drama, Romance, War
During WWII, a submarine's second in command inherits the problem of torpedoes that don't explode. When on shore, he is eager to win back his ex-wife.
Director: George Waggner | Stars: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes
Votes: 3,891
26. 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: 2,236
27. 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: 2,254
28. U47 - Kapitänleutnant Prien (1958)
91 min | Drama, War
In 1939 German U-boat captain Günther Prien receives orders to infiltrate the British Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and sink British warships.
Director: Harald Reinl | Stars: Dieter Eppler, Sabine Sesselmann, Joachim Fuchsberger, Harald Juhnke
Votes: 211
29. 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: 1,631
30. 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: 2,769
31. 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: 21,452
32. 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: 24,139 | Gross: $0.61M
33. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When the Earth is threatened by a burning Van Allen Radiation Belt, U.S. Navy Admiral Harriman Nelson plans to shoot a nuclear missile at the Belt, using his experimental atomic submarine, the Seaview.
Director: Irwin Allen | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre
Votes: 6,665
34. Phantom (I) (2013)
R | 98 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine holds the fate of the world in his hands. Forced to leave his family behind, he is charged with leading a covert mission cloaked in mystery.
Director: Todd Robinson | Stars: Ed Harris, Julian Adams, David Duchovny, William Fichtner
Votes: 15,164 | Gross: $0.49M
35. 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: 684
36. 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: 2,938
37. 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: 87,423 | Gross: $77.09M
38. 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: 1,838
39. Raise the Titanic (1980)
PG | 115 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Once they said God himself couldn't sink her. Then they said no man on Earth could reach her. But an underwater research agency, headed by Admiral James Sandecker, is assigned the job of finding the doomed ship in her North Atlantic grave.
Director: Jerry Jameson | Stars: Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer
Votes: 5,444 | Gross: $14.82M
40. Battle of the Coral Sea (1959)
Approved | 86 min | Action, Drama, Romance
In 1942 submarine commander Jeff Conway secretly photographs Japanese aircraft carriers in the Coral Sea but his submarine is damaged and he's forced to surrender.
Director: Paul Wendkos | Stars: Cliff Robertson, Gia Scala, Teru Shimada, Patricia Cutts
Votes: 830
41. Black Water (2018)
R | 104 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A deep-cover operative awakens to find himself imprisoned in a CIA black site on a submarine.
Director: Pasha Patriki | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Al Sapienza, Courtney Blythe Turk
Votes: 7,395
42. Tides of War (2005 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 95 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In the cold, dark waters off North Korea a U.S. Navy fast attack submarine meets with a mysterious disaster - it's attacked and nearly sunk by an ominous stealth submarine.
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith | Stars: Adrian Paul, Catherine Dent, Kent McCord, Mike Doyle
Votes: 774
43. Submerged (2005 Video)
R | 96 min | Action, Thriller
Chris Kody, the world's best mercenary, is freed from prison -- but there's a catch. Kody must use his lethal weapons and fighting skills to stop a group of terrorists who have taken over a nuclear sub.
Director: Anthony Hickox | Stars: Steven Seagal, Christine Adams, William Hope, Nick Brimble
Votes: 5,189
44. 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
45. 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
46. 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
47. Submarine Seahawk (1958)
Approved | 83 min | War
For his first command in the Pacific war a by-the-book officer is ordered to take his submarine on a reconnaissance mission to locate a fleet of Japanese fighting ships the Allies have lost... See full summary »
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet | Stars: John Bentley, Brett Halsey, Wayne Heffley, Steve Mitchell
Votes: 364
48. Assault on the Wayne (1971 TV Movie)
74 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
During the Cold War, enemy agents, posing as U.S. Navy crew, plan to sabotage a nuclear submarine and steal its anti-ballistic missile guidance system.
Director: Marvin J. Chomsky | Stars: Joseph Cotten, Lloyd Haynes, Dewey Martin, Leonard Nimoy
Votes: 166
49. 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: 4,555
50. 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: 26,695 | Gross: $25.79M
51. Danger Beneath the Sea (2001 TV Movie)
92 min | Thriller
An American submarine commander (Casper Van Dien) questions his superiors when they order a nuclear attack.
Director: Jon Cassar | Stars: Casper Van Dien, Gerald McRaney, Stewart Bick, Tammy Isbell
Votes: 540
52. Crash Dive (1996 Video)
R | 90 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Nuclear submarine USS Ulysses rescues supposed victims of a boat disaster, who turn out to be terrorists intent on capturing nuclear weapons aboard the sub. Only a former SEAL can save the day by sliding aboard while the sub is underwater.
Director: Andrew Stevens | Stars: Michael Dudikoff, Frederic Forrest, Reiner Schöne, Jay Acovone
Votes: 977
53. 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: 67,419 | Gross: $35.17M
54. 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
55. 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
56. 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
57. Steel Sharks (1997)
R | 94 min | Action
In this undersea thriller, a United States chemist is captured by terrorists. But a rescue attempt by an elite group of Navy Seals goes wrong when they are captured. Now they must wage a silent war beneath the waves.
Director: Rodney McDonald | Stars: Gary Busey, Billy Dee Williams, Billy Warlock, Shaun Toub
Votes: 489
58. Battle Under Orion (2009)
120 min | Action, War
World War II story alternates between the past and present, linked by a fateful song. Japanese sub I-77 battles an American destroyer off the coast of Okinawa. Before heading to war, the ... See full summary »
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara | Stars: Yoshikuni Dôchin, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Mutsutoshi Furuhata, Yûta Hiraoka
Votes: 516
59. The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Thriller, War
A Pakistani submarine, Ghazi plans to secretly attack Vizag port. For doing so, it has to get past Indian submarine S21.
Director: Sankalp Reddy | Stars: Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Om Puri
Votes: 14,643
60. Raging Sharks (2005 Video)
R | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
After debris from an alien spaceship lands in the waters, great white sharks begin terrorizing marine researchers (Corin Nemec, Vanessa Angel, Corbin Bernsen) in the Pacific Ocean.
Director: Danny Lerner | Stars: Corin Nemec, Vanessa Angel, Corbin Bernsen, Todd Jensen
Votes: 1,179
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