Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Leofwine_draca Another fine British war movie of the 1950s. This one tackles the subject of the war in the Atlantic and features the crew of a British warship as they tackle the U-Boat menace. The film is based on a non-fiction novel by Monsarrat and thus has a ring of authenticity to it. There's certainly no jingoism or flag-waving here, just a sweaty and suspenseful account of what it's like to fight submarines in a theatre where the sea itself is an enemy.The cinematography is fine and the story gives a fair balance to both characters and plot. As is usual for this era, the cast is very fine, ranging from Jack Hawkins as the rugged sea commander to Denholm Elliott and Donald Sinden as his fresh-faced recruits. Stanley Baker has another stand-out turn as the sausage-loving first officer. Even Virginia McKenna is here, years before she became known for her work on BORN FREE. I wouldn't call THE CRUEL SEA quite top-tier material but it's certainly an enthralling and moving film nonetheless and above average for its genre.

Tweekums I first saw this film many years ago but only just got around to watching it again after sorting through some DVDs that came free with the Telegraph; I wish I hadn't waited so long as it is a cracking film. As it opens former Merchant seaman Lieutenant-Commander George Ericson is about to take his first command in the Royal Naval Reserve; HMS Compass Rose. We are quickly introduced to new officers Lockhart and Ferraby who are fresh out of shore based training and the first officer Sub-Lieutenant Morell. After a brief period of training the ship joins the Atlantic convoys where her crew must contend with German U-boats and the harsh conditions. Not everybody is cut out for it; Morell; a martinet when things were going well can't handle the stress and is hospitalised with an ulcer; much to the relief of the junior officers! As their war progresses they must deal with the effects of U-boats on the ships they are escorting and live in constant fear that they could be the next ship to go down. Victories are few and far between and when their luck finally runs out the losses are significant and the survivors will never be the same again.Most wars films made after the war had finished either concentrate on one particular action or glorify the heroics of our heroes over their dastardly foe; here things are different to follows a ships commander from the time of his first command till the war is over. Both he and his crew are seen as real people who are affected by the events they live though and the decisions they make. Nothing illustrates this more than the scene where Ericson has to take actions that will kill survivors of an attack in order to destroy the U-boat and ultimately save more lives. Jack Hawkins does a fantastic job as Ericson and is ably supported by Donald Sinden, John Stratton, Denholm Elliot and Stanley Baker. Surprisingly the film hardly seems to have dated; some of the model work looks a bit obvious by today's standards but the rest of the film looks just about perfect; no amount of CGI can equal footage of real depth charges detonating or the seamless inclusion of actual war time footage. Even the fact that the film is black and white doesn't date it; in fact it just adds to the sense of reality and the bleakness of their situation. There are no blood and guts to be seen but there are some incredibly tense scenes; I flinched at every noise as they had to repair the engine knowing that a U-boat could spot them at any moment and the scenes in the life rafts were distressing as the number of survivors fell. Even away from the sea it wasn't all happiness as one of the crew learns that his sister has died in an air raid and another discovers that his glamorous wife is being unfaithful. If you have any interest in naval warfare or just want a cracking film with believably real characters then I heartily recommend this; it is a classic.

Werner I recall to have seen this movie when i was a maybe 15 years old and mainly recalled the grim and bitter search for the U-Boat in the Murmansk Convoy Section. Much time has passed and Amazon Germany does now feature this in the Forgotten War Movie Section !. Certainly a film that must not be forgotten ! At the same time German TV featured a 30 year anniversary of "The Boat U-96" with the key actors. The Cruel Sea now is moving towards 60 years coming since it was released and it did not lose much. It is grim, based on obvious real life experience and well cast. Even Stanley Baker impresses as the Snorker Bully with an ulcer. Get it when you can.

bkoganbing Ealing Studios which has come down to us in history as the home studio of British comedies, particularly those of Alec Guinness produced this fine, but unusual product for its reputation. The Cruel Sea is a no frills drama set in World War II about the men serving on board a corvette class cargo escort ship.It's not glamorous duty this ship is involved in. They are just escorting vitally needed supplies to the western and later Russian fronts not to mention the bare necessities for the civilian population of Great Britain. The run to Murmansk on the Arctic Ocean was the most dangerous with the long coastline of occupied Norway home to innumerable bases for the U Boats to operate.Jack Hawkins does a fine job as the stalwart captain and a good cast as the crew supports him. Standing out is Stanley Baker who in an unusual part for him plays an insecure lieutenant who masks his insecurities with petty shows of tyranny. The usual plot situations involving navy films are all here. The film is similar in many ways to the Trevor Howard film, the Gift Horse which came out around the same time.The Cruel Sea got an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, but lost to From Here To Eternity which won many Oscars that year. Definitely worth a look when broadcast.