War is Hell and High Water
by peterdi315 | created - 11 Aug 2012 | updated - 14 Aug 2012 | PublicSome of the best war at sea movies - above and below. All-Time. Alphabetically.
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1. 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: 1,630
2. Across the Pacific (1942)
Passed | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In December 1941, ex-army captain Rick Leland boards a Japanese ship heading to Asia via the Panama Canal where his Japanese hosts show interest in the American defense plans for the canal zone.
Directors: John Huston, Vincent Sherman | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Charles Halton
Votes: 5,442
3. Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Passed | 126 min | Drama, War
An American tanker is sunk by a German U-boat, and the survivors spend 11 days at sea on a raft. Their next assignment - bound for Murmansk through the sub-stalked N. Atlantic.
Directors: Lloyd Bacon, Byron Haskin, Raoul Walsh | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale, Julie Bishop
Votes: 4,547
4. The African Queen (1951)
PG | 105 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull
Votes: 84,289 | Gross: $0.54M
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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: 123,262 | Gross: $91.40M
8. 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: 264,245 | Gross: $11.49M
9. 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
10. 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
11. The Fighting Seabees (1944)
Approved | 100 min | Drama, Romance, War
During WW2, the U.S. Navy implements a new idea of forming construction battalions that also are fighting units, in case of Japanese attack.
Director: Edward Ludwig | Stars: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe, William Frawley
Votes: 3,913
12. 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: 2,232
13. 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
14.
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
15. 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
16. 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: 11,868
17. 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
18. Men of the Fighting Lady (1954)
Approved | 79 min | Drama, War
A famous writer visits an aircraft carrier during the Korean war to learn more about it and the way it's run. He also gets to find out more about the Navy and Marine aviators themselves, their internal and external conflicts and dangers of their job.
Director: Andrew Marton | Stars: Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern, Dewey Martin
Votes: 627 | Gross: $1.50M
19. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy
Votes: 237,822 | Gross: $93.93M
20. Midway (1976)
PG | 132 min | Action, Drama, History
A dramatization of the battle that was widely heralded as a turning point of the Pacific Theatre of World War II.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford
Votes: 21,482
21. Mister Roberts (1955)
Passed | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, War
In the waning days of World War II, the cargo officer of a Navy supply ship chafes at its role far from the action in the Pacific's backwater areas, his frustration rising when its captain denies the crew liberty over petty irritations.
Directors: John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy, Joshua Logan | Stars: Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon
Votes: 18,230 | Gross: $21.20M
22. 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
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: 14,404 | Gross: $11.00M
24. 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: 4,145
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. 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
27. 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: 15,867 | Gross: $23.30M
28. Orzel (1959)
104 min | Drama, War
Based on a true story of the Polish submarine ORP Orzel (Eagle). In September 1939, Orzel docks in the neutral Estonian harbor of Tallin. Under pressure from Germany, the Estonians have ... See full summary »
Director: Leonard Buczkowski | Stars: Wienczyslaw Glinski, Aleksander Sewruk, Jan Machulski, Roland Glowacki
Votes: 193
29. PT 109 (1963)
Approved | 140 min | Biography, Drama, War
President John F. Kennedy kept a unique inauguration gift on his desk: a plastic-encased coconut. The tale of that coconut is the heroic story of PT 109.
Director: Leslie H. Martinson | Stars: Cliff Robertson, Robert Culp, Ty Hardin, James Gregory
Votes: 2,990
30. 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: 13,105
31. The Silent Enemy (1958)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Biography, History
During WW2, Italian Navy divers use underwater chariots to mine the keels of British warships, forcing the British to send underwater demolition expert Lionel Crabbe and his team to counter these enemy actions.
Director: William Fairchild | Stars: Laurence Harvey, Dawn Addams, Michael Craig, John Clements
Votes: 847
32. The Silver Fleet (1943)
88 min | Drama, War
Jaap van Leyden (Sir Ralph Richardson) is in charge of a shipyard in newly occupied Holland. At first he collaborates with the Germans because it is the easiest course to follow. Later, a ... See full summary »
Directors: Vernon Sewell, Gordon Wellesley | Stars: Ralph Richardson, Googie Withers, Esmond Knight, Beresford Egan
Votes: 542
33. Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Approved | 97 min | Action, Drama, History
The World War II story of the Royal Navy's effort to defeat Nazi Germany's most powerful warship.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Kenneth More, Dana Wynter, Carl Möhner, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 8,308 | Gross: $6.54M
34. 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
35. 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
36. 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
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: 87,375 | Gross: $77.09M
38. 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: 2,253
39. The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, War
During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.
Director: Richard Murphy | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson, John Lund, Chips Rafferty
Votes: 2,531
40. 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
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