The Final Countdown (1980)

A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Director:

Don Taylor

Writers:

Thomas Hunter (story), Peter Powell (story)

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Douglas	...	Capt. Matthew Yelland
Martin Sheen	...	Warren Lasky
Katharine Ross	...	Laurel Scott
James Farentino	...	Cdr. Richard Owens / Mr.Tideman
Ron O'Neal	...	Cdr. Dan Thurman
Charles Durning	...	Senator Samuel Chapman
Victor Mohica	...	Black Cloud
James Coleman	...	Lt. Perry (as James C. Lawrence)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Simura (as Soon-Teck Oh)
Joe Lowry	...	Cdr. Damon
Alvin Ing	...	Lt. Kajima
Mark Thomas	...	Marine Cpl. Kullman
Harold Bergman	...	Bellman
Dan Fitzgerald	...	Navy Doctor
Lloyd Kaufman	...	LCdr. Kaufman

Storyline

In 1980, the assistant of the Department of Defense Warren Lasky is assigned by his mysterious chief Richard Tideman to visit the aircraft carrier USS Nimtz commanded by Capt. Matthew Yelland as an observer of the routines. Lasky finds that Wing Commander Richard T. Owens has a great knowledge of history. Out of the blue, the vessel faces a weird storm and they find that they have traveled back in time to the eve of the attack of Pearl Harbor on 06 December 1941. When the two Japanese Zeros attack the motorboat of Senator Samuel Chapman, the crew of the Nimitz rescues the senator and his assistant Laurel Scott. But sooner Lasky learns that the senator had disappeared on that day and Capt. Matthew Yelland is planning to attack the Japanese. Will these actions create a time paradox?

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Plot Keywords:

aircraft carrier | tragedy | japanese abroad | japanese man | pacific ocean | 

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Taglines:

On December 7, 1980 --- The nuclear carrier USS Nimitz disappeared in the Pacific...and reappeared December 7, 1941...the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese Russian

Release Date:

1 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Countdown

Filming Locations:

USS Kitty Hawk

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,647,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,647,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Bryna Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the mid 1980s the communist government banned the movie in Hungary, claiming it glorified the United States Armed Forces. However, some illegal copies were circulated on VHS with parts about the Russian trawler spying on the USS Nimitz edited out.

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Goofs

At one point while the Nimitz is at sea, a 1MC announcement is heard to say "Sweepers, Sweepers, man your brooms. Take all trash to the after-brow." The after-brow is only in place while a ship is in port, it is basically the "gang plank" access to the ship.

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Quotes

[first lines]
F-14 Pilot: [voice over radio] Pearl Tower, Tomcat two-zero-zero. requesting clearance for departure runway zero-nine. Over.
Pearl Harbor Tower: [voice over radio] Two-zero-zero, Pearl Harbor Tower. You are cleared runway oh-niner. Winds zero-four-five at eight. SH-three approaching from the right. Have a nice day.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were cut by 6 secs to edit blood spurts from gunshots. In 2002 these cuts were waived by the BBFC.

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Connections

Featured in Scope (2017)

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Soundtracks

Anchors Aweigh
(uncredited)
Written by Charles A. Zimmerman (as Charles Zimmerman), Domenico Savino, Alfred Hart Miles and George D. Lottman

User Reviews

Saw it during my Carrier days...

I saw this in the theater when it first came out. I was stationed onboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) while it was being overhauled at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wa. I loved every minute of this film.

I know that this will sound trite and maudlin, but I remember going up on the flightdeck one morning after working the night shift, shortly after I saw this film. The USS Bonhomme Richard was at the pier near us- painted with zinc, all closed up, its gunmounts covered, doorways sealed-up, bridge windows shuttered, its flightdeck silent save for the screeching of seagulls. Looking at that old wooden-decked warhorse through the rain and mist, I felt a new appreciation for it and the other vessels in mothballs.

I felt as if I were looking through time itself.