Excellent plot, cast,and action make this one of the best WWII naval movies made. Not made for promoting the war effort as "Destination Tokyo" and "Torpedo Run" were, this movie is the story of two veteran Captains and their ships. Having served on submarines, I appreciated the realism of the U-boat, the crew, and the captains tactics. All were very realistic. Robert Mitchums tactics as the Destroyer captain were very realistic. I enjoyed the respect each captain shared for the ability of the other, and I especially enjoyed the realism of the hunt and final attack. To conserve torpedoes it was customary to finish a struggling target with the deck guns only if the target was a cargo or freighter with little weaponry. This tactic was not usually used on a heavily armed destroyer unless a safe position could be taken to prevent becoming the target. The tactic of ramming was also commonly used by all ships in WWII. I enjoyed the ending because in war (not terrorism), when the outcome of a battle is certain, the foes become people once again and the human spirit overcomes the ideological differences, and the victor and the vanquished come to each others aid. There are countless stories of this happening during WWII and if the U-Boat would have been the victor, I would have left with the same feeling.
Review of The Enemy Below
