| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Casper Van Dien | ... | Commander Miles Sheffield | |
| Gerald McRaney | ... | Admiral Eugene Justice | |
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Stewart Bick | ... | Lt. Commander Albert Kenner |
| Tammy Isbell | ... | Lt. Clare Holliday | |
| Ron White | ... | CPO Pete LeCroix | |
| Vince Corazza | ... | Lt. Commnder Eric Watkins | |
| Paul Essiembre | ... | St1 Tony Martinez | |
| Dominic Zamprogna | ... | AS Ryan Alford | |
| Michael McLachlan | ... | Lt. Sal Lombardi | |
| Jim Thorburn | ... | AS Matt Rockwell | |
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Justin Peroff | ... | Lt. Howard Lowenstein |
| Joel Gordon | ... | PO3C Terry Peel | |
| Kim Poirier | ... | Lisa Alford | |
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Shane Daly | ... | Lt. Commander Gary Reynolds |
| Brad Austin | ... | PO1C Ross | |
Commander Miles Sheffield is a rising star in the US Navy, patronized by Admiral Eugene Justice, to the silent envy of many, including his XO and Chief on his first command mission aboard a nuclear submarine, the Lansing. This maiden voyage also turns out to be the ultimate challenge: a failed Korean nuclear missile causes a disastrous explosion which knocks his means of communications out of order, so he fears to be incommunicado in a nuclear war against an unknown enemy. Now his rivals believe his inexperience and unwillingness to man battle stations amount to desertion in war time, and plan a mutiny: they have the doctor skip him for necessary iodine shots so he'll be too sick to resist when the XO seizes command- his loyal supporters must get it back fast, for even the admiral sees no alternative then have the nearby Mako hunt them down to eliminate them before they start World War III... Written by KGF Vissers
Now and again you run across a movie that is so completely unremarkable, that it's hard to find anything to say about it. This is such a movie. An absolutely run of the mill telemovie which tries to tread the same path as 'Crimson Tide', and of course falls ridiculously short, but is still watchable.
A US submarine is cut off from communication with the outside world, when a North Korean nuclear test goes wrong, blanking out most of East Asia because of the electro magnetic pulse. The Executive Officer decides they're at nuclear war (with who is anyone's guess), and takes over the ship, determined to launch their nukes (at who is anyone's guess, as well). The captain and the other good guys have to stop him. It's about as basic as that.
The acting and production values are pretty decent, but it is marred by some pretty silly concepts - such as an officer on board a nuclear submarine in 2001 believing that the USSR still exists. Some of the crews' reactions also seem a bit too undisciplined and far-fetched as well.
I sat through it, whereas I've switched off more illustrious blockbusters ('Blackhawk Down' for instance). I was expecting that it might be rubbish, but it was just plain old ordinary. If it had been a cinema release I might have bagged it, but for a telemovie it's excusable. This one is nudging 5 out of 10.