The most amazing saga in the fighting annals of the US Navy!
Overview
The crew of the American destroyer escort, the USS Haynes, detects a German U-Boat—resulting in a prolonged, deadly battle of wits.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.9/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Dick Powell
Production
20th Century Fox
Cast
Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, David Hedison, Theodore Bikel, Russell Collins, Kurt Kreuger, Frank Albertson, Biff Elliot, Michael McHale, Alan Dexter, Joe Di Reda, Robert Boon, Doug McClure, Joe Brooks, George Ford, Sasha Harden, Ralph Manza, Gordon Mitchell, Marco López, Vince Deadrick Sr.
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A taut, unusually humane WWII cat-and-mouse thriller that gets a lot of mileage from its dual perspective. The battle scenes are gripping, but the real hook is the respect it gives both commanders, turning a simple chase into a tense duel of skill and nerve.
Best for
submarine and naval war film fans
viewers who like tense tactical showdowns
fans of classic widescreen adventure and practical seafaring action
people interested in war films that show both sides with some empathy
Skip if
you want nonstop action over methodical suspense
you dislike older war films with period pacing and some melodrama
you prefer heavily anti-war or psychologically dense character studies
Overview
The Enemy Below is one of those sturdy 1950s war pictures that understands the value of restraint. Rather than treating the conflict as a blur of explosions, it turns the North Atlantic into a chessboard, with Robert Mitchum and Curd Jürgens playing commanders who are smart, professional, and increasingly aware of each other’s competence.
Worth noting
What makes it stand out is the balance of tension and respect. The film doesn’t flatten the German crew into faceless villains, and that gives the cat-and-mouse structure real bite. The result is less a conventional combat movie than a duel of wills, with the mechanics of naval warfare used to build suspense scene by scene.
Bottom line
It’s also a handsome production, with strong seafaring imagery and enough practical detail to keep the action feeling grounded. If you like classic war cinema that values strategy, atmosphere, and character under pressure, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
pirateneckbeard (3.5★) · 60 likes
I enjoyed this sea worthy war story entangled with an American destroyer ship just looking for a German U-boat to love... wait scratch that to destroy. I mix those words up far to much. So This is filmed in glorious cinemascope and have to give it up to Dick Powell for his direction. This had to be an influence on "Das Boot" and really captures a dry tension with an affable cast but captures some dry grit without forcing to… more I enjoyed this sea worthy war story entangled with an American destroyer ship just looking for a German U-boat to love... wait scratch that to destroy. I mix those words up far to much. So This is filmed in glorious cinemascope and have to give it up to Dick Powell for his direction. This had to be an influence on "Das Boot" and really captures a dry tension with an affable cast but captures some dry grit without forcing to… more
🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝 (4★) · 52 likes
I've been fighting falling asleep all day (Bound for Glory hardly helped) so I needed a pick-me-up. A submarine movie!
Well, half a submarine movie, really. Curd Jurgens and his German crew are underneath and Robert Mitchum are on top with the Americans. Whatever you want to call it though (probably "a war film"), The Enemy Below is definitely one of the very best of its kind.
I wonder how it might have been received when it was released. It… more
Andy Summers 🤠 (3★) · 33 likes
Being in the right mood for a film can certainly help with your enjoyment of it. Being bedridden can be a poisoned chalice at times, keeping warm and snug becomes the focal point of everything, right down to whether you want to take aim at what's been put on for your entertainment. My wife thought I'd enjoy an old WWII film from 1957, it had Robert Mitchum in the leading role, and the film itself has a decent reputation among… more Being in the right mood for a film can certainly help with your enjoyment of it. Being bedridden can be a poisoned chalice at times, keeping warm and snug becomes the focal point of everything, right down to whether you want to take aim at what's been put on for your entertainment. My wife thought I'd enjoy an old WWII film from 1957, it had Robert Mitchum in the leading role, and the film itself has a decent reputation among… more
Ian Curran (3★) · 33 likes
Don't let the title or topic fool you, there ain't much depth to this film. But I had a fun time. I always enjoy a cat-and-mouse chase movie.
Thornhill (4★) · 25 likes
"Duell im Atlantik" war mir früher schon einer der liebsten U-Boot-Filme. Das liegt weniger am reichlich vorhandenen Pathos, als vielmehr der Tatsache, dass es dieser Film schafft, beide Konfliktparteien zu charakterisieren und die deutschen U-Boot-Soldaten nicht einfach unter Nazigeneralverdacht stellt. Der Film ist ohnehin kein wirklicher Kriegsfilm, sondern vielmehr ein Actionadventure mit Kriegsthematik, das ordentlich an der Spannungsschraube dreht, einige tolle Schauwerte bietet und mit Jürgens und Mitchum zwei echte Legenden aufeinander los lässt. Die Tagline des Films bringt es dann auch entsprechend auf den Punkt: "Killer-Sub vs. Sub Killer"
1981 · Drama, History, War · 2h 30m · R · Curator 9.6/10 (391.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV
A benchmark submarine thriller that shares the claustrophobic tension and tactical realism, but pushes deeper into endurance and psychological pressure.
1962 · War, Action, Drama · 2h 58m · PG · Curator 7.3/10 (87.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A broad, detail-rich WWII film that shares the same old-school craftsmanship and operational focus.
Topics
war thriller, submarine warfare, naval combat, World War II, tactical suspense, classic Hollywood, sea adventure, enemy respect, widescreen cinematography, 1950s