Torpedo

Not sure if this was meant a parodie, or if it's just a... low budget, bad acted, historically inaccurate, lousy dubbed, flimsy special effect., loaded with the usual idiosyncrasies and characters of the genre... attempt to a war movie. Still if you're bored and you have nothing better to do and you don't have to pay 15 bucks for a ticket and stream it at home on a lazy Sunday morning from your couch, it's entertaining enough to waste 100 minutes of your life... No idea why it gets this high rating on IMDB, (famous for the ratings) but why the hell not... I can't give it more than a 5, cause I wasn't alone on the couch.

Outside of the mediocre dubbing, this is a typical submarine flick... which is not a bad thing. Pretty much keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the way. No surprises, but well done. It gave a real feel for the confinement inside an old submarine. Considering that the action was right on, there was, perhaps, a bit more character development than actually needed. Did we need to know that one of the crew did not like blacks? Didn't really impact the plot in any way. The improbability factor got a bit high in places, and the (first) ending was a bit "we ran out of money" ish, but overall very well done.

Reading some of the bad reviews, I wasn't expecting much, but I surprisingly really enjoyed it. My dubbed version wasn't that great, with some voice-overs being ridiculously over the top, and I wasn't a fan of the loud Star Wars type score, but for a Belgium-made film, it was pretty epic.

For starters, this was writer and director Sven Huybrechts' (and writer Johan Horemans') first full length feature film, with only one prior short and one TV show on their resumes, and they did not disappoint, especially since they are new and unheard of filmmakers.

It's refreshing to see a non-Hollywood blockbuster film of this caliber. I'm shocked at the low rating and some of the wannabe critics negative reviews, like "another submarine movie" - then don't watch it! Do you also say "another cop movie" lol? Then the other reviewer "Too many errors...." because of a bazooka lol. This isn't a documentary smh, it's entertainment that 'touches' on a historical event. Another reviewer nailed it... "The Belgian Inglorious Bastards". There was comedy, suspense, action, romance and drama... what more could you ask for? The best part was it wasn't Hollywood-ed with all the main characters living through the impossible - there were losses.

The runtime was just right, perfect pacing and excellent cinematography and editing. I highly recommend this film, especially if you're a fan of submarine-type films. It's a well deserved and honest 8/10 from me. To see more of my 1000+ ratings and 900+ reviews, click on my username.

I'm sure people will enjoy this movie. It's like having that kinda cocktail, bittersweet with a taste of lemon. All ingredients are there: humor, sadness, action, drama and a slice of horror.

Is it Oscar worthy? No, but it was never made to be a big pricewinner. It was made for those who appreciate and enjoy a movie without expecting deep Shakespearian dialogues. For people that just want to leave the cinema, having a had a good time.

Koen De Bouw remains one of Belgians finest.

Overall, taking into account the limited budget I'd give it a 7/10.

Most contemporary submarine-themed films tend to be overly dark and psychological. Not so much here. Just an old-fashioned war film featuring equally good acting, script, camerawork and music.

The original Belgian-language version doesn't seem to be available with subtitles but the dubbing here is passable, not at all distracting.

If you're into this sort of thing, just grab some popcorn and enjoy a really good show.