Mirisch Films/United Artists, 1968, 90 minutes
Starring James Caan, David Sumner, and Norman Bowler
Written by Donald Sanford and Guy Elmes
Produced by John Champion
Executive produced by Irving Temaner
Directed by William Graham


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Unfortunately, I lost my original notes and had to watch the movie again, which I quickly realized is one time too many.

James Caan plays the captain of a British submarine that was sunk by the German battleship Lindendorf (modeled on the Tirpitz), and is assigned to head up a top-secret project to destroy the warship. The Lindendorf is snug in a Norwegian fjord where smoke machines make aerial bombardment impossible and anti-submarine nets protect it from torpedoes. However, the British Admiralty hopes that the X-craft, midget submarines, will be able to penetrate the anti-submarine nets and get close enough to attach a bomb.

I have no idea why the Tirpitz has been renamed the Lindendorf but it seems appropriate since there is no mention of the hunt for the Bismarck, the Tirpitz’s sister ship, the other heavy German warships stationed in Norway that were also targeted by the X-craft, or even the many attempts to bomb the Tirpitz. In fact, there is no context whatsoever other than that the story takes place during WWII.

Caan’s character is Canadian to avoid having to attempt a British accent and he is completely lifeless apparently to avoid acting.

The movie contains a number of the worn-out plot ideas that have appeared in countless other movies where a group of people have to work together to accomplish an objective. Only four other men had survived the sinking of the submarine and they all volunteer to join the secret project. Since they blame Caan’s character for the destruction of the sub, the stage is set for character conflict. There is also the crew member who can not handle the training but can not be replaced by someone more qualified because they barely have enough people as it is. If it seems odd that the Admiralty would not recruit more men than were needed in order to ensure that they had the best for such a vital mission, that is because they did, maybe that is why they won the war. In fact, each member was given two opportunities to drop out of training. Finally, the captain is a hard-ass, merciless instructor because he is being pushed by the Admiralty but he refuses to appear weak by explaining the situation to the men. Actually, a major theme of the movie is that the really big jobs require a cold-heart and nerves of steel. The only plot devices missing are the ethnic minority who eventually wins the admiration of his comrades and a love triangle.   

At one point, a team of German paratroopers attempt to destroy the X-craft but they are defeated after heavy fighting. While it is a well-orchestrated action scene and one of the more entertaining parts of the movie, it is also simply ludicrous. If the Germans knew about the X-craft, they would have simply strengthened the anti-submarine nets. The X-craft’s greatest weapon was surprise, so it could not be used more than once.  

Actually, aside from the X-craft, which receive a relatively accurate portrayal, almost everything from the actual events is absent in the movie. In particular, it ignores the six day long trip from Scotland to the fjord where the midget submarines were towed behind regular submarines and half of the X-craft were lost or damaged so badly that they could not continue with the mission. Presumably the director and screenwriter could not figure out how to make this part of the story interesting so they just moved on. This omission symbolizes the key problem with the movie, namely that instead of the X-craft, the need to present Caan’s character as the alpha male is the focus of the story. The other characters are essentially there to show that they do not measure up, which is pretty insulting to the real men who performed the actual operation.  

Some historical movies are extremely faithful but lack the skilled direction needed to make the history come alive while other films twist the facts but are beautiful and moving. This film is neither. It is simply a run of the mill movie that lacks any real creative spark or a proper understanding of the events.



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