Minesweeper (1943)

Must See Movie...

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

MINESWEEPER is a just-about-watchable WW2 flick from America. It seems to have been made on a tiny budget so the naval scenes aren't too convincing. What makes this watchable at all are some likeable performances from the chief characters, best of whom is the utterly goofy and endearing Big Boy Williams, playing the unlikely monikered Ichabod 'Fixit' Smith. Richard Arlen plays a navy deserter who decides that the best thing to do with his time is to re-enlist in the navy and start again from the ground up. His reasons for this bizarre behaviour do become apparent later on but it's not really very relevant to the main story. There are a few suspenseful bits, some unwanted romance, and an early bit part for Robert Mitchum.

Made during American war-effect of World War 2. This war-time patriotic movie was mediocre, at best. Directed by William Berke, Minesweepers tells the story of Richard Houston (Richard Arlen) a former Naval Officer who went AWOL, because of his past gambling problems. Hoping to redeem himself and serve his country; he re-enlists under an assumed name, Jim 'Tennessee' Smith and is assigned to a minesweeper unit in the Pacific, where he has to perform hazardous duties at sea. However, his trouble past, might play a factor, in his overall performance. Can Jim AKA Richard keep his real identity a secret, or will his problems, become a danger, not only to him, but the people, around him? Watch the movie to find out, if you want! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the story given here, is really hard to believe. After all, when a person joins the military. Fingerprints are taken and filed with them. Surely, the U.S Navy would find out who Tennessee Smith really was, sooner than later with all the background security and criminal check, they do. It's really hard to believe, that Richard thought, he would get away with it. Another problem with the story material is how cheesy, and golly gee sensitive, it was. You would think, this movie about gambling addiction, would have a lot of depth. Sadly, it has little to none. I know, a lot of critics would love to defend this movie on the belief that the war-time films of the 1940s were so uber conservative, that filmmakers couldn't get away with a lot due to the Hayes Code; but that's far from the truth; films like 1945's The Lost Weekend shows that films about addiction can work, if the filmmakers honestly put some sophistical into their subject matter. Since, the movie rarely focus on it, I really found the whole gambling problem of Richard Houston, a bit, add on, late here. Even, the minesweeper plot, seem secondary at times. The movie seem more focus and wrapped around the subplot of Richard fighting over the love of a girl, Mary Smith (Jean Parker) than anything else. I really didn't like it, because Jean Parker and Richard Arlen barely show any chemistry with each other. It seem to be, a little forced. Another problem with the actors, this movie has chosen, is that none of them, seem like the right age to be, consider for war-time enlistment, so soon after the Pearl Harbor attack. It wasn't until late 1942, where the age bracket was increased to include males aged 18 to 45, due to demand. It's really hard to believe, that they were able to serve, due to the fact that the actors look past their prime. A good example of this, was when they were doing, P.T. & rifle drills. I have to say, the stupid acting and dialogue, they were given in this movie, didn't help them, seem believable. Honestly, what middle age serviceman reads a grade school joke book, during intense military training!? If you thought, that was dumb. Just wait, until the scene, where the 'so-call trained' Minesweepers, try to disarm a weapon, by whacking at it. I found all of them, to be very clueless in their jobs. The acting in this movie didn't help. None of them, really stood out. Richard Arlen was probably one of the worst. He reads lines, without much delivery. His character was also very forgettable. I really couldn't remember, anything, he say or done, in the film. The only actor that kinda shine in this film was Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams as Ichabod Ferdinand 'Fixit' Smith. Still, the only reason why I remember his presence in the film, is because he remind me of Larry the Cable Guy mixed with President George W. Bush, both in look and in his Southern accent. There was just something really odd about him. Unfortunate, the actors weren't the worst thing, about this film. I have to say, the action scenes were. Most of the underwater disarming shots were a little too dark for audience to see, what's going on. It made the film, somewhat unwatchable. They were so badly done, that the only thing, I can describe it; was, as if I was listening to a radio manual at midnight with no lights on. Also, the failure of Paramount Pictures to renew the film's copyright resulted in this film falling into public domain. It means that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of this film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film are not very good, so viewing it, involves accepting some distractions such as poor video/audio quality, due to the fact, that it has been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film. Overall: It's still pretty hard to sweep all the problems of this movie, just for that reason, alone. The movie was still, somewhat dull and boring, when it first came out. For a movie about disarming bombs. It wasn't the best. I was still somewhat disappointed. However, it's still watchable if you really want to, but it's better off, to find, your entertainment, somewhat else.

Any film that tries to make its audience believe that the military could't identify an AWOL soldier through fingerprints and would simply let someone slide through just because there was a war going on must think its audience was pretty dumb. Richard Arlen was one of Hollywood's oldest action heroes when he took on this low-grade war drama, and his age definitely shows. Jean Parker , another long-time ingenue, is the nominal leading lady. I felt that the premise kept me from being totally engrossed in the action, and having seen many war propaganda theme films of the era on every war subject, this one had to rank low on the rating scale. Good intentions don't always make for a good movie, and this one is as close to a bomb as the target of the aging heroes job.

"Minesweeper" is a somewhat melodramatic but interesting World War II drama that has a pretty good story and that also takes a look at one of the less familiar aspects of the war. There are also some moments of real suspense and tension. The print that aired recently was unfortunately not very good, so viewing it involves accepting some distractions, but it has a number of points of interest to compensate.Richard Arlen stars as a naval officer who had deserted a few years before the war, but who finds himself drawn back to the Navy when the war breaks out. Helped by a friendly family, he assumes a new identity and re-enlists under his new name. Throughout the action that follows, he is faced with numerous dangerous missions, while also living in constant fear that his true identity will be discovered. He also finds himself involved in romantic complications. It all builds up to a climactic sequence of events that, while rather melodramatic, is action-packed and rather surprising.Arlen's ship is a minesweeper, and the film incorporates some interesting details on the job that such ships had to do in keeping shipping lanes and harbors free of mines. The hazards involved also lead to some rather tense moments of drama.The movie is not too long, and moves fairly quickly. It should hold some interest for most fans of old war movies.