Submerged

The one positive thing that struck me about this film effort was that it was not overly sentimental or melodramatic even though what we ARE dealing with here is the most basic emotions of pain and suffering for loved ones, whether spouses or peers.

Sam Neill does a fine turn here with his well-known understated treatment. The very capable ensemble of supporting actors also brought respect to this noble and deserving tale.

I am not a Navy man so if there were inconsistencies or inaccuracies, I was not the wiser. In any case, I never felt as if I were being manipulated or deceived. The telling was sober and respectful.

Just honest storytelling of a long unduly forgotten act of collective heroism. We need to see more stories like this.

"The greatest American hero".

Not my words, but the words of Peter Maas.

My wife is a grand-niece of Charles Bowers Momsen.

The show was a bit padded here and there, but the tension was sustained.

Momsen never went on the first dive of the McCann Rescue chamber. He hadn't on any of the four trips. He was actually cited as scrutinizing the higher number of the rescued in the chamber, yet, told them to keep it up. The names of the operators cited in the movie were inaccurate as well. The following is a quote from a true account taken from the 1939 Newspapers:

Sibitsky made contact with the Squalus, and the 33 survivors cheered when they heard his lead boots clang outside. He did his job in the pitch dark without a hitch and safely returned to the surface. Some of the survivors' previous Morse Code messages requested food, so at 11:30 AM, while Torpedoman's Mate John Mihalowski and Gunner's Mate Walter Harman entered the dive bell, they brought a surprise. Inside the 10-foot high by 7-foot wide, 21,600-pound chamber, the pair brought hot pea soup, sandwiches, milk, and extra blankets and flashlights.

As they leveled the dive bell's buoyancy, they slowly slid down the line to the escape hatch, bolted down the chamber, and sealed it to the Squalus. When Mihalowski opened the hatch, he was greeted with the faces of the crew and quickly exchanged supplies. One of the survivors slurped his hot soup and jokingly remarked, "Where in the hell are the napkins?"

I do not know if Momsen actually knew the Captain of the S-51 as claimed in the movie. I do know that Walter E Harman was a S-51 crew member (listed in the original casualty list) later assigned to the USS Falcon. Some may say that it's a movie and that poetic license is often taken. The problem I have here is that it down plays the historic significance and bravery of those who risked their lives during the operation - almost like erasing them from history.

This is a relatively faithful recounting of the dramatic rescue of most of the crew of USS Squalus, which went down while conducting diving drills near the Portsmouth, NH Navy Yard in October 1939.

Of course, some liberties had to be taken for dramatic purposes, but key events, such as the divers suffering from the effects of such a deep dive (over 230 feet), and the fact that the rescue bell got stuck coming up with the last of the survivors, requiring yet another harrowing dive to free them, are handled well. Considering the press attention this event got at the time, the total absence of reporters from the movie is surprising, but sort of refreshing in a way.

That said, I never really was engrossed in this movie, with many of the dramatic moments falling flat. Maybe that's because I knew how it would turn out, but still, one would think the film could be a bit better paced. All in all, a 7.

I read the book and happened to be channel surfing when the Submerged movie came on.... Found it very enjoyable and had to find another showing to get the first 15 minutes. Sam Neil does a wonderful Mumson. Overall very close to book and Special Effects are also well done...