Duello nell'Atlantico

Don't get me wrong,this one of the best Navy/Destroyer movies made but there are some problems I would like to point out. 1. "we will trail him until dawn and attack". the idea that a DE commander with a radar advantage would waste it by waiting until day light when it would be almost impossible to surprise a surfaced sub.He would go right after the sub and if could get close enough switch on his searchlight or fire a star shell,then open fire with every thing that could brought to bare. 2.In the opening credits that shows the full ship clearly shows the ship is equipped with Headgehogs as were all the Buckly's, there is no mention of these in the movie. 3.The Radar/Sonar operator,s giving course changes of the sub. These folks can only give a range and bearing to the target. It would be up to guy on the DRT (Dead Reconing Tracer), that was the guy making doodles on a board. Anyway I still think it was a good movie.

Since WWI, most people thought of the submarine as the hunter. Hitler called them his "wolves." But towards the middle of WWII, with the use of sonars, air reconnaissance and fast destroyers, the U-boat's mastery of sea warfare came to an end. For comments and statistics on the survival chances of German U-boat crews, watch Das Boot and The Eagle Has Landed.

I always thought Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster), was the older movie because it was in black and white while this was in color. Aside from the color, Enemy was also better technically crafted overall. But for me what puts Enemy well over Run Silent is the very effective characterization of the enemy U-boat Commander (portrayed by Curd Jurgens). In Run Silent, the captain and the crew of the Japanese destroyer hunting the American sub were practically faceless unknowns.

I notice that the U-boat commander has a "von" in his name indicating a noble lineage. Same as George Ritter von Trapp (of the famous singing family)a baron who commanded a U-boat in WWI. I understand the Kriegsmarine attracted a better class of educated and highly cultured people which is why the infamous Heydrich was cashiered from the German navy under the Weimar Republic. Incidentally, the US Navy was led to victory in the Pacific by another descendant of the Prussian junkers class, the petty nobility whose members usually made a career of the military. That would be Chester von Nimitz although his immediate ancestors gave up the "von" when they settled in the New World.

Dick Powell, singer and light comedy actor did a fantastic job writing the screenplay and directing this movie.

Have to agree with "bob the moo" on this one. I've seen it probably two dozen times, and will see it many more, I'm sure. One of my favorite "war" movies (w/Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens as destroyer and submarine captains, respectively). My other faves are "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Decision Before Dawn," (w/Oskar Werner and Richard Basehart--most excellent!), and of course, Kubrick's "Paths of Glory," w/Kirk Douglas, Adoph Menjou and George MacReady.

More than a blood-and-guts war movie (though it has plenty of terrific action scenes), it's more of a man-vs-man "cat and mouse" story. Absolutely excellent direction (by Dick Powell) and some terrific cinematography. Terrific scene between Jurgens and Theodore Bikel (who plays his Exec. Officer), that is nothing but facial gestures and eyebrows.

A very "moral" tale, it shows that even sworn enemies serving their countries in wartime can show respect and compassion toward each other, especially since they're all men-of-the-sea: sailors. Conversations between Mitchum and his ship's doctor and between Jurgens and his exec officer mirror each other. Note the scene of the American sailors pulling the German sailors aboard their lifeboats near the end; Mitchum helping rescue the U-boat captain and his exec after ramming them.

Great tale, well-scripted, acted, directed and shot. An model of how to make a terrific story into a movie.

A US Destroyer plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with a German U-Boat in the South Atlantic during World War Two.

Despite this film getting fairly regular screenings on UK TV over the years, I saw it for the first time in its entirity over the weekend. Considering the era in which it was made, I was pleasantly surprised by its straightforward story and solid production. Rather than have some superfluous romantic sub-plot dragging it down, it instead concentrates on the professionalism of those involved on both sides. Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens portray the opposing Captains impressively as men who take no pleasure in the prospect of killing, but carry out their jobs to the best of their considerable abilities. The supporting cast include Theodore Bikel, David Hedison and a very young looking Doug McClure.

A combination of good technical credits, sure handed direction, good acting and a sympathetic depiction of the German crew ensure that the film holds up very well today. It may not be 'Das Boot' but its certainly entertaining.

A test of cunning and courage between the commander of an American destroyer (Robert Mitchum) and the captain of a german U-boat (Curt Jurgens).

The movie was one of the first to portray the enemy of WWII sympathetic.Jurgens made his American film debut after being a star in European films.Director Dick Powell (who had crooned in Warner musicals in the early 30s,and became a considerable actor in the part of Philip Marlowe during the War) injects the film with exciting pace and a clinical observation of men at war.There are no unnecessary heroics in this movie.