A very good war film from former actor turned producer/director, Dick Powell. In the South Atlantic during World War II a United States destroyer escort ends up playing cat and mouse with a German U-Boat. The captains of both ships are highly skilled seaman and the film turns into a battle of the wits between the two of them to see who will sink who first.
The film is noted for not being some anti-German propaganda piece. It had been over 10 years since the war ended so the portrayal of Germans was slightly more nuanced. In fact one of the stars of the film Curt Jurgens, (in a strong performance) had been sent to an internment camp during the war by the Nazis.
Robert Mitchum usually a performer who encouraged a myth that he was just walking through his roles as he waited for quitting time so he could hit the nearest bar also gave a very good performance as the destroyer captain.
The screenplay was by an old Hollywood pro Wendell Mayes. The running time is a tight 98 minutes.
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