Matrix Games Forums

This film had the misfortune to come out in the middle of the COVID pandemic in 2020. As a result, it never got shown in any theater (they were all closed). It did launch on Apple TV (which I don’t have). Finally, it came out on DVD (but not Blu-Ray) at a highway-robbery price. I took a pass. Finally, years later, I just found it on E-bay for a price I could swallow (sort of).

That has enabled me to finally give it a very positive review. Anyone interested in the Battle of the Atlantic should enjoy.

It's a must see for me as my Dad was part of the Battle of the Atlantic.

I saw the movie advertised. Due to Covid it never got to the big screen. I was visiting my brother. He has an Apple TV so we watched it through that back in about July 2020.

This is a movie I will not see twice.

The scenes on the bridge with Tom Hanks were terrific! I suspect that they are authentic and these scenes were the best scenes in the movie.

Early on, Hanks says to his wife that it is his first time across the Atlantic. Then we learn he is the ship’s captain which surprised me. As it is his first trip perhaps he should have been first officer.

It took me a while to figure out, but it turns out he is commanding a flotilla. First time across the Atlantic?
The German sub chasing his ship was of course a silly plot. Totally spoilt the movie for me.

A better plot would have been, simply commanding a destroyer, makes a beginner’s error in the first action, corrects the error in the second action.

The date was early 1942. While he is a very senior officer, no US commander is going to be very experienced in Atlantic ASW at that point in the war. But the idea that the US would subordinate its senior officers to other countries just for that reason wouldn't have been acceptable.

Fred98 wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:54 am
It took me a while to figure out, but it turns out he is commanding a flotilla. First time across the Atlantic?
The German sub chasing his ship was of course a silly plot. Totally spoilt the movie for me.

Perhaps the subject matter isn't familiar to you. A WW2 convoy could make 15 knots but typically 6 knots was made. Slowest ship dictated convoy speed. Throw in the zigzag pattern they traveled and it's easy to see a sub easily keeping up.

And a convoy is not a flotilla. It is a convoy with some escorts scattered about. Typically slower DDE/DE or PCE for the Atlantic that could make maybe 20 knots. The destroyers were usually left for fleet duties protecting capital ships. Destroyers maybe later in the war and certainly for the convoys leaving England for Arkhangelsk or Murmansk or Med convoys because surface engagements and lots of enemy air activity was possible.

BTW this is a work of fiction. Couldn't put in hours and hours of boring steaming and then fifteen minutes of ships blowing up.

Curtis Lemay wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:54 pm
That has enabled me to finally give it a very positive review. Anyone interested in the Battle of the Atlantic should enjoy.

Thanks for your feedback. I've wanted to see it before but have missed it due to COVID.

By the way, do you know a good movie about US subwar in the Pacific?

ncc1701e wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:38 pm

Curtis Lemay wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:54 pm
That has enabled me to finally give it a very positive review. Anyone interested in the Battle of the Atlantic should enjoy.

Thanks for your feedback. I've wanted to see it before but have missed it due to COVID.

By the way, do you know a good movie about US subwar in the Pacific?

Torpedo Run:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_Run

Detination Tokyo:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination_Tokyo

Run Silent, Run Deep:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_Silen ... eep_(film)

Thanks, so nothing after 1958. Hollywood still prefers carrier battles.

The movie is loosely based on the 1955 CS Forrester book The Good Shephard and for a movie adaptation, I think they did a great job. It had the misfortune of a COVID release schedule and it came out on Apple TV. I had a trial sub so, I was able to watch it there but did not keep my sub up so I can't see it there anymore and I miss it. I would watch it again and again if I had the chance. It was really fun and informative.

I think it's a good flick. It's fairly true to the book, although there's some inevitable Hollywoodization. My buddy had it hooked up to a good stereo system so it was about as good as you're going to get for a home viewing (that and he had Indian rum--good stuff).

The book is about a USN commander from Indiana (I think) who is full of self-doubt but does his best. It's a perfect Hanks vehicle--humble man steps up to the plate and does good at the end of the day. He's the captain of a Mahan-class DD in early '42 so he gets the commodore nod even though he hasn't made the journey. Other captains are junior to him, but they have more experience, hence the inferiority complex. Primarily U.S. escort vessels handled the first half of the journey, hence U.S. command, and then the RN took over with an escort group closer to Ireland.

If you're into war flicks, this is certainly one of the better ones.

Cheers,
CB

All 18 Mahan class Destroyers spent WW2 in the Pacific so yeah, if it was a Mahan class would be Hollywoodified. But the destroyer in the movie is Fletcher class. in otherwords it was filmed on a Fletcher class destroyer. However the destroyer in the movie wasn't based on anything historic except maybe very losely. But it's a good story for certain.