Directed by Joseph Pevney, and written by William Wister Haines and Richard Sale, this average World War II submarine drama stars Glenn Ford and Ernest Borgnine; Ford is the commander of a submarine and Borgnine is his first officer. Like most in this genre, Ford plays a tortured, determined sub captain who's chasing a "holy grail"-like target, in this case a Japanese "flat top", a new aircraft carrier named Shinaru; Borgnine's character is also Ford's friend who helps and/or covers for his commanding officer (C.O.).The cast includes a number of supporting actors including Diane Brewster, who plays Ford's wife in a couple of flashback sequences, Dean Jones as Foley and L.Q. Jones as Benson are two members of Ford's crew, Philip Ober as Ford's C.O., and William Schallert (uncredited) as another sub's commander. The Japanese characters are barely seen and, of course, uncredited. The film's Effects, which are really nothing special, received an Academy Award nomination.The story is compelling at times, but is also full of the usual clichés:Lieutenant Commander Barney Doyle (Ford) is Admiral Samuel Setton's (Ober) best submarine captain; his "Grey Fish" has attained an impressive record of success sinking enemy targets. Barney is driven because, for 10 months, he hasn't known the fate of his wife and two year old daughter, who were living in Manila before Pearl Harbor and Japan's invasion of the Philippines. When word finally surfaces that Jane (Brewster) and their daughter Dede (Kimberly Beck, uncredited in her screen debut) have been found alive and well in a Japanese internment camp, it's soon followed by news that the sought after carrier Shinaru is being screened by a transport ship with 1,400 prisoners-of-war, likely including Doyle's family, and two destroyers, dubbed "tin cans".Naturally, Barney and his crew is given the opportunity to take a crack at sinking the target but the captain, despite pleas from his first officer Lieutenant Archie Sloan (Borgnine), takes an ill- advised risk and accidentally shoots the transport ship instead. Because of the destroyers, who have dropped depth charges in order to destroy them, and are currently lying in wait, the Grey Fish is unable to rescue the survivors.Seeing this scene would later cause Barney to wrestle with his emotions about the tragedy for three days in his captain's quarters, but not before he successfully commands the sub into Tokyo Bay and destroys another tin can in lieu of the desired target. They'd had to hide among some enemy mines and blow through some sub trap netting during their escape.Upon their ordered return to Pearl Harbor, Admiral Setton questions Archie about Barney's fitness, while offering the Lieutenant a ship of his own. Archie tells the truth about Barney's struggle but then states that he'd rather be Doyle's subordinate on another mission to sink the Shinaru than helm his own boat. So, Barney and the Grey Fish are given another chance, and are accompanied by another sub dubbed the "Blue Fin". When a suspicious Barney asks Archie about his conversation with the admiral, Doyle's paranoia causes a rift between the two friends.Later after taking another undue risk, Barney causes the Grey Fish to lose its conning tower and most of its communications ability, reducing their chances of sinking the Shinaru by sonar to one in eight. Now unable to using either periscope, Barney decides to let Archie help make the decision to continue the quest to sink the Japanese carrier, which they do despite great risk to themselves and their crew. The Grey Fish is sunk to the bottom by a Japanese destroyer, which is then in turn sunk by the Blue Fin.One of the film's most interesting, and not often seen, sequences follows as the crew of the Grey Fish abandons their submerged sub in order to be rescued by the Blue Fin's crew. Their skipper, Randy (Schallert), is able to show Barney that he and his crew (minus the six that died in their sinking) did successfully sink the Shinaru.

Choosing from among the war time navel stories written by Richard Sale, director Joseph Pevney selected this one entitled " Torpedo Run. " It tells the saga of Lt. Commander Barney Doyal (Glenn Ford), a Submarine commander who remembers the Akagi, the attack ship which lead the attack on Pearl harbor on December 7th 1941. Believing his immediate family is safe and out of Harms way, Doyal is out at sea searching for the enemy when his Superiors send him a message that his family has been put aboard a transport ship, being used to Screen and protect the Akagi and dares him to attack his aircraft Carrier while Doyal's family is screening it. Doyal is a professional navy commander and realizes what he must do, despite his second in command Lt. Archie Slone', (Ernest Borgnine) advice and objections. This film was highly nominated for an Oscar in the 1950's and the very special effects which went into the movie gives audiences the reasons why. The cast also include Dean Jones and L.Q. Jones. This film should be part of any war time collection as it has become a true Classic. Easily recommended. ****

I happen to like submarine movies, but normally the plot situations are the same in every one of them. Torpedo Run though it bares most resemblance to the Cary Grant World War II film from Warner Brothers, Torpedo Run has a unique involvement of Ford's family in combat.Japanese intelligence has marked Ford as one of America's top submarine commanders so when on a mission, Ford receives word that his wife and three young daughters have been accounted for in the Phillipines and are being held by the Japanese, you've got to wonder. The Swiss government which did the liaison work during World War II regarding prisoner information and exchange has just gotten word about Diane Brewster and the daughters.The devilish orientals have something up their sleeves all right. A transport ship with the civilian prisoners is screening the new pride of the Japanese fleet, one humongous aircraft carrier. That's not something Cary Grant faced in Destination Tokyo or any other American submarine skipper in any other film I remember.It's a grim Glenn Ford we see doing his duty in World War II. Only Executive officer Ernest Borgnine knows exactly what's at stake for Ford and he's reliable and supportive. The flashback sequences before the war involving Ford and Brewster are poignant and contribute to the overall tension of Torpedo Run.The combat and rescue sequences are well staged. Torpedo Run is a good portrait of a man under tremendous stress. My guess is that Ford was cast in this role seeing how well he performed in another film involving a pressure situation, Ransom.Glenn Ford's legion of fans and fans of World War II films in general will applaud Torpedo Run.

The movie has a pretty interesting approach for '50's standards, by inserting lots of flashback sequences, with the home-front, that however also happen to be incredibly sappy. It does at parts make the movie a melodramatic one.Submarine movies just never have been any of the best or most exciting, action packed movies because of their restraints, with a couple of well known exceptions of course. The movie has a good beginning but as it heads toward the ending the movie starts to drag and become less interesting, when the movie becomes more personal and gets filled with some more emotional aspects.It even manages to put in a personal and family dramatic main plot-line in the movie. What an accomplishment for a submarine movie! Yes, it helps to make the movie more original and less formulaic but it also of course isn't the most interesting approach thinkable, especially not since it gets stretched out for the movie its entire duration.The miniature effects were pretty good looking. I mean I have seen far worse, even from movies that were made much later. Although they are hard from convincing by todays standards of course.Glenn Ford was a great choice for the main lead, as the tough looking but sensitive commander. Ernest Borgnine forms a good duo with him, as the submarine's lieutenant. The rest of the character remain mostly in the back.A decent enough genre attempt.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/