Disturbing yet enthralling

A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This Second World War drama follows a US Navy Underwater Demolition Team as it takes part in preparations for the invasion of Japanese occupied islands and comes to terms with the replacement of a popular leader who was killed in action. Form the way they talk it is clear that there former CO was very much one of the men but his replacement, Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence, is very much a by the book officer. The men's opinion of him gets even worse when he orders his boat back to the ship after their second boat is destroyed leaving the survivors to wait for the rescue boat; is reasoning may have been militarily correct but it was unpopular enough to have three men request a transfer. It isn't long before everyman in the team wants out. Luckily for him an opportunity arises for him to demonstrate his courage and win the respect of his men before he must lead them on a top secret mission to attack Japanese submarine pens.This is a solid film with decent action, a good cast and an interesting story to tell. It may be a fictional story but it nicely demonstrates the sort of work the Underwater Demolition Teams would have done without being gung-ho about it. The cast did a fin job; most notably Richard Widmark who put in a nicely understated performance as Lt. Cmdr. Lawrence; a character who wanted to do the right thing and respected his men even when he knew they didn't have such an opinion of him. The action looked believable; the underwater scenes especially so. The fact that it was filmed in black and white somehow gives it a more realistic feel... presumably because the vast majority of archive footage of the war was in black and white! The tension in the unit was there to add to the drama and it did so in a believable way; the men might not have liked Lawrence but they didn't do anything unrealistic about it; just griped a bit and got on with the job. We don't see much of the Japanese but when we do it was refreshing to see them depicted as ordinary soldiers sharing a cigarette rather than as 'the evil enemy'. If you enjoy films about the second World War I'd certainly recommend this as it shows the sort of operations not usually depicted in films in a fascinating way.

What was probably a rather revelatory naval film in 1951 is a bit ordinary by today's standards, though it is still worth a viewing, especially for fans of Widmark. Here he plays the newly-assigned commander of an underwater diving team during WWII who is charged with the demolition of a Pacific island's shore defenses. Widmark is not popular among his men because he's replacing a beloved, but now deceased, predecessor. He loses even more points when he neglects to take time to memorialize even more recently killed seamen. Andrews is his chief antagonist while Merrill is the even-keeled voice of reason, advising Widmark through the choppy waters of command. There are many shots filmed underwater in what was then quite a novelty. Today, this footage looks pretty murky, though it's not altogether terrible. A few tense situations unfold as Widmark and his (frog)men dive and plant explosives, etc... One neat aspect is the showing of how the UDT (now morphed into Navy Seals) disembark and reboard the boats that transport them. Split-second timing was required. Widmark (or more likely his stunt double) does have the unfortunate distinction of being pulled back onto the craft at high speed and having his white jock dart out from the underside of the black trunks he is wearing! Not a particularly dignified reentry, but at least he was saved. Widmark, always an intriguing screen presence, does a nice job in the film, balancing toughness with sensitivity. Andrews is less impressive, seemingly walking through the thing at times. Merrill is pretty inactive, always sitting, lying down or smoking an ever-present pipe, but he lends solid support. One real asset is the appealing and attractive Hunter, who is especially sympathetic during the climax when he is threatened with drowning or worse. The cast is filled with then-up-and-coming actors who would later gain somewhat greater fame. Stevens, Lembeck, Gregory and Warden all have at least one moment to register. Fans of sixth-billed Wagner, however, will be greatly, greatly disappointed. He's barely visible at all and has one line, "Aye aye, sir." The later "Creature From the Black Lagoon" would up the ante on underwater cinematography (in 3-D no less!) along with other subsequent films, but this one was one of the earliest.

I have not seen this movie in many years but I would like to note that my friend Herschel Spurlock and his buddy Harold Tucker were stunt-men on this movie. They were UDT men and got paid $50 per day for there work. I plan to buy a copy of the movie and give it to my friend. This movie seems to have quite a group of primary actors. In the old days Navy men were call UDT, today the modern term is Navy Seals. UDT means underwater demolition team. My friend did a lot of work from submarines and was injured once descending a ladder, broke both legs. He also had a hand grenade thrown at him and just recently had a brass piece of shrapnel removed from his back. In addition my friend is on deck in the middle picture on the back of the DVD. He is looking left and has a bathing suit on. Herschel Spurlock died in the California Veterans Home in Yountville 5/20/2009.

The first time I saw this I was 10 years old, very impressionable and wanted very much to be like these men of war. This film has a lot to say about dedication and hard work learning the art of war. As John Wayne once said in "Sands of Iwo Jima" about the learning of the proper procedures of how to fight a war, because if we don't do it right a whole lot of men don't walk away from it, "forevermore they don't". As has been said this is the precursor to the modern day Seals. Sure I know they are tougher men today, but in my estimation not any more honorable and dedicated than the men portrayed in this "great" film.The acting is outstanding and very real, especially to be so good that an old man like myself, remembers how I felt all the times I saw the film. If a film and the men involved in telling the tale of "The Frogmen" left that much impression and remembered to this day, then it had to be great acting, direction and favorably produced. There was no outlandish computer graphic techniques of today nor scenes of blowing up the world that come so common place in todays action genra films, but a reason and purpose for the gritty life and death struggle each man faced to become a frogman in the U. S. Navy or UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) as they were and are called.This black and white picture was dominated by the snarling Richard Widmark in perhaps his best performance in his career. I know many remember him for other films, but to me, he made this film and was the quintessential commander training his men to do a very difficult job with nothing more than shear strength of character and leadership. They did not have the high tech apparatus of todays Seals, but for what they lacked in equipment they more than made up for in "guts and glory" beneath the waters.The rest of the cast, Dana Andrews, Gary Merrill, Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Wagner, just to name a few seemed to be portraying what is best in the Navy and men of war. Several more gave memorable performances in telling the tale of "The Frogmen" and the U. S. Navy's dedication to the finest in warfare.The standard war movie is one thing, but this is a classic not seen much today and one in which many that followed learned by this tale of the U. S. Navy.