"Das Boot," "Run Silent, Run Deep," "The Hunt for Red October," submarine movies are a favorite sub-genre of war movies, and, among these undersea films, "The Enemy Below" ranks with the best. Tautly directed by actor-director Dick Powell, the film depicts a strategic cat-and-mouse maneuver between the captain of a German U-boat and the captain of an American destroyer escort in the South Atlantic during World War II. The two captains engage in a war of strategy, which leads to growing mutual respect, although neither has ever laid eyes on the other. Torpedoes, depth charges, and zig-zag evasion are deployed in a deadly game of marine warfare, and the film's special effects won an Oscar, although they are unimpressive by contemporary standards. The fine screenplay by Wendell Mayes, adapted from a novel by D. A. Rayner, the crisp editing by Stuart Gilmore, and Curt Jurgens's sensitive performance as the German captain all merited Academy attention, but were overlooked.The two captains engaged in a battle of wits to the death are seasoned veterans and carry baggage from their pasts. The American captain, well played by Robert Mitchum, helmed a freighter that was torpedoed and sank with his new bride aboard; he spent days adrift on a raft and only recently returned to active duty aboard the escort ship, which has largely avoided action until now. Curt Jurgens displays considerable depth as the war weary German captain, who disillusioned by the new German order. Both captains have sounding boards nearby to verbally express their inner thoughts. Mitchum talks with the ship's doctor, played by Russell Collins, while Jurgens bares his soul to his shipboard friend, Theodore Bikel.The drama moves back and forth between the surface ship and the submarine below as each captain tracks the movements of his foe, attempts to anticipate his next move, and out maneuver him; they play a high risk game of chess with the loss of their ships and the lives of their crew if checkmated. "The Enemy Below" is engrossing throughout its relatively short running time; the tension builds both above and below the surface; suspense mounts, and viewers will be drawn into the drama until the end. For fans of submarine films and of Robert Mitchum, "The Enemy Below" is essential viewing, and all viewers will likely come away with a new appreciation of the talents of Curt Jurgens.

The South Atlantic during World War 2. The US destroyer USS Haynes spots and engages a German U-boat. The U-boat is commanded by Captain Von Stolberg (played by Curd Jurgens), a wily veteran U-boat commander. The captain of the Haynes is Lt Commander Murrell (Robert Mitchum), a Naval Reserve officer who was previously in the merchant marine. Because of this background, some of his crew doubt his abilities. he soon proves them wrong and a battle of wits ensues between the two adversaries. Great WW2 naval drama. Pretty good portrayal of submarine and anti- submarine warfare. Suspenseful and engaging. Also shows a good balance between the US and German sides.Great performances from Robert Mitchum, as the US captain, and Curd Jurgens, as the German captain. Good supporting cast too.

Robert Mitchum was a big movie star back in the 1950s and 1960s, though I suppose most of the younger viewers don't know who he was. It is nice to be able to find some of these fine older movies on the "Movies!" channel. Especially during the first 10 to 15 years after the war ended in 1945 there was considerable Hollywood fascination with war-related movies. And they mostly were received well by the USA public that had gotten heavily involved in supporting the war effort. The dastardly Nazi Germans were still a big interest on the big screen.Here the two stars were both near 40 years of age, Mitchum is USA Capt. Murrell with a destroyer. Curd Jürgens is Nazi Captain Von Stolberg. They have a close encounter at sea and each must try to destroy the other. So most of the movie is that mental chess game at sea, two veteran captains trying to predict what the other will do, and often ordering maneuvers that puzzled the rest of their crews.While there is plenty of action the story is really about these two men. It tries to bring humanity to the war effort. Hollywood would not release a movie in 1957 that had the Germans defeating the Americans.SPOILERS: As the chase comes to a climax the sub must surface and the destroyer is faced with a collision. Germans didn't like their U- boats captured so time bombs were set. The Americans had to vacate their vessel, try to save as many prisoners as they could, and still avoid being sunk in lifeboats by the imminent explosions.

Capt. Murrell (Robert Mitchum) is new to the American destroyer escort USS Haynes. The crew is spreading rumors that the man is weak and sea sick. He soon shows his experience when the ship encounters a German U-Boat captained by Von Stolberg (Curd Jürgens). It's a prolong battle of wits in the Altantic.The movie is a bit too static in between the explosive action. The tension and the editing style is still old fashion. The scenes run a bit too long. The U-boat is a bit too roomy. It doesn't have quite the claustrophobic feel that other great U-boat movies like Das Boot. The most intriguing aspect is the human portrayal of the German captain. He's not the usual cartoon villain for that era. The use of a real destroyer and explosives are compelling. This is a great strategic-battle movie that inspires many others.