Submarine X-1 (1968)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Crappy film

Absolutely Brilliant!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

SUBMARINE X-1 is a very old fashioned WW2 thriller that was somewhat surprisingly made in 1968. Remember this was the era of free love and all-star cast adventures in the DIRTY DOZEN and WHERE EAGLES DARE mould, films that haven't really dated when watched even today. Not so SUBMARINE X-1, which looks and feels like a B-movie from the early 1950s, a comparison not helped by the dodgy use of black and white stock footage.The real problem with this one, though, is the story, which is exceptionally dull. A young James Caan plays the Canadian commander of a British submarine crew tasked with raiding the Nazis in Norway. The film has no real understanding of the distances between Britain and Norway and sees the characters zipping back and forth as if it's just across the Channel.It's one of those movies, like THUNDERBALL, let down by endless murky underwater footage, which simply isn't very interesting, and a general clichéd air which robs it of vitality. The supporting cast seem disinterested as does the director, who couldn't make this would-be thriller any less exciting if he tried.

Yes, I agree with the average 4/10 rating. This is another marginally watchable, below average mid-60s fare, worth your time only if you have absolutely nothing else to do with your time. Not horrible, but nothing remarkable either. Little in the way of character development, no memorable dialogue, and a plodding, straightforward plot (if you can call it that). If you make it all the way through, follow the crew's example, and break out the brandy; after that, you deserve one.

Routine and quite boring 1960s war film concentrating on the X-series of midget submarines. In this typical afternoon matinee movie James Caan appears as a totally miserable and humourless Canadian submarine commander. Presumably Caan appears to make the film saleable in North America. The underwater scenes and onshore action don't add up to much but the occasional glimpses of scenery around the Scottish lochs makes marginally for some of the tedium. The shoot out with German paratroopers has some tension and excitement. Overall, one for rainy, cold, wintery Sunday afternoons. 3/10.

A fictional story based on actual events. Intriguing as an american is portrayed in the armed service of the UK. Another such situation was in the movie 633 Squadron with Cliff Robertson. Overall a good movie.