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Battle of Wills

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 10/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sailing on the high seas in his destroyer, the new captain encounters a submarine. His wife having been killed in a ship sunk by a torpedo, Capt. Murrell (Robert Mitchum) has a special distaste for submarines. He immediately gives chase and attempts to destroy the submarine. Capt. Von Stolberg (Curt Jürgens) is a U-boat commander on a mission, and initially he sees the destroyer as more of a nuisance than a real threat. We quickly learn the answer to the question asked by members of Murrell's crew, does the new captain know what he is doing? We learn at the same time the crew does that Capt. Murrell knows submarine tactics. It is soon after we learn that Capt. Murrell knows what he is doing that Von Stolberg also learns the same thing. Now the chess game becomes serious.



We learn a lot about both Murrell and Von Stolberg as the movie progresses. Von Stolberg cares little for Nazis and Hitler, an attitude typical among German submariners during World War II. Von Stolberg is tired and anxious for the war to end. While Murrell is just trying to do his job, you can sense equal measures of revenge and perhaps just a touch of regret that war and killing is necessary at all. While he is very matter-of-fact as he chases the submarine, he does so without enjoyment. At times I thought he was even a little sad that the conflict was necessary. Von Stolberg too is distressed regarding the feinting of the two craft. He wants to make his rendezvous, he wants to go home.



As the story develops we gain a deep respect for these two men as the scenes switch between the two characters. We realize that while there must be a resolution, we too would rather the two ships go their own way, especially since we know the war must be near an end.



The special effects are somewhat spotty. The interior views of the submarine and the destroyer are quite good. The exterior views of the destroyer and submarine are generally good, but there are some exceptions. Fortunately, the cinematography and skill of the director allows us to overlook the small flaws in the special effects, particularly as the movie draws to an exciting conclusion that makes us wonder whether either captain will survive the encounter.



It may be somewhat difficult for most to put themselves in the position of a World War II submariner without having seen one of these boats. Fortunately there are several on display in various places around the country. Once you realize how tiny and cramped submarines were in that era, you wonder at the fear of men under attack from above, particularly after the invention of sonar. They can hear everything from the drop of depth charges to the horrendous explosion they make, yet, they can do nothing. Learn how small these submarines are and you will appreciate this movie even more.



Also worthy to note in this movie is the presence of several well-known actors. David Hedison, later to be on the bridge of the Seaview in the television series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," plays Murrell's executive officer. Theodore Bikel, character actor in numerous movies, plays Von Stolberg's second in command. Well down in the credits is future "Virginian" star and movie star Doug McClure. A number of other actors had extensive future careers at the time of their appearance in this movie.



This movie is one of the best of the movies about World War II. The movie portrays the lengthy battle between a submarine and destroyer quite well. More importantly, the movie focuses on the two captains and their mixed feelings about the combat. This movie is worthy of having in any war movie collection or any collection that emphasizes conflict between two characters.



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