Two men are delivered to the American destroyer USS Bedford in the North Atlantic by helicopter. Civilian photojournalist Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is doing a story and is slack with regulations. Dr. Potter (Martin Balsam) starts a new tour on active duty after 20 years in the reserves. The medical staff is excited by the garbage being found. They suspect a recent Russian sub. Hard-nosed Captain Eric Finlander (Richard Widmark) is hunting for his Russian sub and has no use for either of the newcomers. Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke is a former Nazi submarine captain who is now a NATO adviser. Captain Finlander pushes the pursuit until a mistaken command leads to dire consequences.
This is fine military drama. Sidney Poitier is pushing the clueless civilian character a little too far. It's not that funny and a bit annoying. Otherwise, the actors are top notch. The story is pretty simple. The miniature action is minimalist. They do use some realistic sets and real ship action to intensify the reality of the story. This is solid.
This is fine military drama. Sidney Poitier is pushing the clueless civilian character a little too far. It's not that funny and a bit annoying. Otherwise, the actors are top notch. The story is pretty simple. The miniature action is minimalist. They do use some realistic sets and real ship action to intensify the reality of the story. This is solid.