Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Handsome young Navy Commander William Holden boards the submarine Tigershark, just out of mothballs, ready for war in Korea. In films these boats are always named after aggressive fishes. No submarine is named Flounder or Guppy. Alone on the empty boat he reminisces about his experience as Executive Officer in World War II. His narration carries us through the flashback. "Yes. You might as well get used to it again. It's HIS boat. It will always be his boat. Funny how things work out." It's the kind of thought that people have in movies but rarely in real life.No matter. This isn't designed to be a poetic masterpiece. It's functional and familiar and exciting, rather like a submarine chasing a convoy.In World War II, we witness the familiar scene of the captain being wounded by a strafing Japanese airplane and Holden, next in command, having to order the boat to dive -- under the fierce protestations of Chief William Bendix. By the time they are able to make a search, the skipper's body is long gone. But Holden has earned Bendix's eternal enmity. Moreover, he loathes himself.He marries his girl friend, Patricia Olsen, but he's haunted during the post-war years, is mean to friends, excoriates his wife until she decides to leave him. Then, the Korean War. The Tigershark is taken out of mothballs and Holden is the skipper again. Guess who the Chief Torpedoman is. So the troubled Holden is once again helming the Tigershark, this time towards wintry Korean waters.The mission is to help evacuate troops surrounded by the enemy. Holden succeeds courageously, brilliantly, and earns back Bendix's respect and his own. Furthermore, Nancy Olsen appears willing to resume their marriage.These submarine movies are usually fun, and this one lacks most of the familiar incidents, the extended depth charges, taking her below the design limits, the popping rivets, the shattered chronometer, the panicky crew member. In real life, it must have been a very cozy existence with everyone living on top of everyone else in a steel tube, the wardroom the size of a walk-in closet.An enjoyable and stylish genre movie.

John Farrow directs a story and screenplay by Jonathan Latimer about a decision questioned for too long of a time. It is said that star William Holden put up $20,000 of his own money to see this film was made. Holden plays Lt. Commander Ken White, who under attack by Japanese fighters, orders his submarine to crash-dive while his commander is still topside on the deck. This decision not only torments and haunts White, he also loses a lot of respect of fellow submariners. Once again in his command, White must make another life or death decision.A star-studded cast features: Nancy Olson, William Bendix, Jack Gregson, Peggy Weaver, Arthur Franz, Darryl Hickman, Jack Kelly and Jerry Paris.

Just saw the movie on TCM. Recommended for submarine buffs. Fairly accurate commands and procedures. They took bits of true stories as most of these kinds of movies tend to do. Howard Gilmore was awarded the Medal of Honor for ordering his boat down after being wounded and realizing that to make it below would delay the dive and probably lose the boat. Gene Fluckey, another Medal of Honor winner and also known as The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast, took his boat into a Chinese harbor filled with Japanese shipping, sank a few and ran in shallow water, dodging gunfire until he had enough water to dive. Bill Holden should have been running as soon as he surfaced to send his radio message. In summary, better than average and pretty enjoyable if you know a little historical background.

The problem that Submarine Command had from the start is that it came out in the same year as Operation Pacific which had similar plot situations. It might be better known today if that were not the case. As it is it's not a bad action adventure film and no disgrace to its star William Holden or any of the supporting cast.When I reviewed Operation Pacific I said that I like submarine films, but inevitably the same situations and clichés follow into each film. In this case William Holden was a newly assigned Executive Officer to the USS Tiger Shark and he was a recent Annapolis graduate who had just done a few shakedown cruises and had never seen any real combat. And it's the summer of 1945.In action Holden like John Wayne in Operation Pacific is forced to leave his wounded captain, John Gregson on top and dive the submarine and take command. This gains the enmity of CPO William Bendix who was devoted to captain Gregson. Wouldn't you know it, the day this happens, Holden's only experience under fire during World War II is the day the Japanese surrender and news of it comes when the Japanese suddenly break off an engagement with the Tiger Shark.Unlike the Duke who got an opportunity in this war to redeem himself in a few eyes, Holden had to wait until Korea for his chance. In the meantime he marries Nancy Olson. Submarine Command was their fourth and final film together, the two had been teamed for Sunset Boulevard, Union Station, Force Of Arms, and now Submarine Command. Three good films and one classic isn't a bad record. Olson seemed to be Paramount's answer to MGM's June Allyson in those good girl next door roles. She and Holden clicked very well on screen.Of course the incomparable William Bendix is here as well. That man never gave a bad performance in anything he was in. He and Holden worked together at Paramount in Blaze At Noon and Streets Of Laredo. They would not be teamed again as well.Although I liked Operation Pacific better, Submarine Command is a fine film on its own that just suffered from bad timing. Fans of William Holden will like it.