Another submarine movie. This one is now a standard for the genre. All that tension. It makes you wonder why they can't all just get along. Even the best of friends seem to fall out when they get cooped up in a submarine. Glenn Ford and Ernie Borgnine are best buddies and Captain and Exec aboard the Greyfish. Best of buddies, of course, until Glenn Ford is forced to make a decision Ernie disagrees with - and here we go again. Cary Grant and Burt Lancaster, Ronald Reagan and Arthur Franz, Glenn and Ernie, etc. We never seem to get tired of the clichés. Let me make this one point though. For once, we don't have the usual cast of characters. No wise guy called Brooklyn, no homey coyoot called Texas, and no hayseed from Nebraska called, well Nebraska. Or maybe Junior. Remember him with the freckles and the cowlick? There isn't much point in going into the story. You've seen it before. You've probably seen this movie before. It's no Das Boot, but for what it is, it holds it's own.I never understood Glenn Ford. He really needed to lighten up. I don't think I ever saw the man smile - never mind laugh. He always seemed to be barely in control of some unexplained rage. I don't know what he was like personally, but if his acting was any reflection of the man, one might wonder why he never made the front page of The Hollywood Reporter.

When I first saw this I got caught up in the drama & fine acting that Glenn Ford & Ernest Borgnine put into the script. On a second viewing you realize how contrived the special effects are & how far fetched some of the sequences are. At least the film is logical & creates good drama.Looking at it the second time, there is no way with World War 2 equipment that the sub could go through a mine field like that. A lot of sequences show depth charges going off so close to the sub, that it would have instantly sank, not survived. Any submariner could only wish they could have done this. What this film is good at is producing drama & atmosphere. Of course, a lot of submarine films have already duplicated the atmosphere so by the time this one was made, that is not a big accomplishment. The quality of the interaction between Ford & Borgnine is what makes this film watchable. Just ignore the far-fetched underwater sequences & concentrate on the story & you will enjoy it.153

I rank this up there with any of the other great Submarine movies. Das Boot, Enemy Below, Run Silent, Run Deep and others.Glenn Ford is always at his best playing this type of character. Conflicted and mentally pained men who have tough decisions. Ernest Borgnine, as usual almost steals the movie though. He is one of the greatest second fiddle players in any movie he co stars in. Being someone who grew up watching him in McHale's Navy as a child and later learning just how great of an actor he can be, is a treat.I do think the flashback scenes hurt the pace of the movie, but are necessary for context.The movie is well filmed and makes great use of color. Many other great Sub movies about WWII are in Black and White, but that doesn't seem to take away from them. Here, the color is big plus.I love Submarine movies probably because I know, that if I had the honor to of served in the U.S. Armed Forces, this would be the last place I'd want to be. Above the water I could tolerate it in battle, under it, I'd be a panicking wonder how I'd get out if we got hit. For that I salute everyone who served underwater, no matter which country you call home.8/10 Rating.

Having served in submarines for six years, and having seen every submarine movie possible, TORPEDO RUN is the most realistic movie yet. The submarine interior including the conning tower brought back a lot of memories. The crew terminology and actions were true to form. The gliches were few but only a submarine historian or WWII veteran would pick up on most of them. The opening scene of the ship in the periscope is not the same ship shown a few seconds later in actual footage being sunk. Also in 1942-1943 torpedo reliability was low and very seldom would only one be fired. I doubt that if a Captain would have known there were prisoners aboard a transport would the chance be taken as Barney Doyle took. At least one transport was really sunk carrying prisoners, but it was not marked as such and it was proceeding as a normal transport. All in all this is my favorite sub movie and I enjoyed every minute if it. Some seem to think it drags on and the story line is to simplistic. That's how it was. A sub's duty was to sink enemy shipping and there would be days of boredom followed by hours of gut wrenching tension amid depth charging, and constantly being chased under by aircraft. I highly recommend TORPEDO RUN.