USS Seaviper (2012)

Simply Perfect

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

WARNING: I have a family member in the cast, my son David plays "Grease" Cohen. That said, I grew up on World War 2 submarine movies and USS Seaviper has an interesting twist on Germany and Japan's interest on developing nuclear weapons. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is an indie movie and doesn't star Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Glenn Ford, or Cary Grant as the captain . . . nor were millions of dollars spent on the production. It is in that context that I gave the movie 6 stars. As for the nasty reviews, they need to be taken with a grain of salt, as they seem to be a deliberate attack on the director, Ralph Villani. For example, there was one reviewer who talked about paying to see the movie - never happened as it was not released in theaters. As for the more cogent critical reviews, some of them are on target - this is not a Hollywood film. However, it has earned awards and positive reviews at various indie film festivals. I am not here to critique the film or praise my son's performance (although I did enjoy it), but rather to suggest you make up your own mind.

So this is second time around to write a review for this movie as my last one got removed for some unknown reason.I'm an avid fan of most war movies especially WWII so I looked forward to watching this movie one evening. The IMDb review had given it 7.1 out of 10 so I thought this must be good. It is now reflects a lowly 2.1, which in my opinion is still too high, and probably due to the handful of 10/10 reviews that some people are making. Maybe they are related to the cast or crew or just like punishing themselves.However, as soon as the first scene came on it became apparent that all was not quite right. It's one of those feelings that you get when you know something is not quite right but you can't put your finger on it straight away. The acting just did not feel correct. The production and direction was straight out of the dummy's guide on how to make a movie. The script was stilted in many places and the actors looked like they had just stepped out of the shower, donned their neatly ironed shirts and trimmed their beards.The further in it went the special effects and sets just seemed cheap. The characters were like cardboard cut-outs, one dimensional and very stiff. The Germans are portrayed as stereotypical evil Nazis with no humanity and the Americans are the good guys who can do no wrong.This ranks as one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. It was so bad that I had to give up watching during the movie. Life is way too short to waste it watching any of this movie. Read a book instead.

Read the synopsis and you get what you see! The German U-Boat, U-234, from the Port of Kiel is trading cargo with the Japanese. USS Seaviper must locate and stop this dangerous exchange. The Captain of USS Seaviper must go ashore to conduct reconnaissance on an island near Sumatra, but the ship is left in the hands of Mister Cutter, after the Executive Officer is injured in battle. A conflict between Cutter and the Chief of the Boat puts the submarine in jeopardy. Seaviper is trapped below the surface, with decreasing oxygen, and a Japanese destroyer hunting them from above. Damage to the boat also leave her survival in question. They must fight the Japanese destroyer and get the information about U-235 back to Pearl Harbor. The film portrays the exact story promised in the above synopsis, no surprise and no silly Hollywood gimmicks. These guys know how to write a script. See it! You will love it. Chief you are the father of this boat. Great CGI especially for an Indie film!

Great American navy stuff. The film looks fantastic. The actors should be in a Hollywood film. I was very surprised at the quality of the films picture and sound work. The music sound track was way above any independent film sound track. The surface shots of the boat on the surface were of the highest quality, very believable . I hope this film gets to a theater near you, we need more of this type in the United States. A handshake to the writer, director his crew and cast, good work. I also noticed how confined the set was filming on an actual world war II submarine. It must have been very difficult to maneuver in these close quarters. Go US NAVY