Former US Navy submariner Adam Jones receives a mysterious mission - he is to captain an ageing Jap sub to a remote North Pacific island where his superiors suspect something secret and sinister is going on
Although this is not one of Fuller's best films, it's still a pretty enjoyable sub action flick and the script contains many of his usual quirks and non-stereotypical characters. What's most intriguing here is the open world-view; the crew are a mixture of American, French, Japanese and Chinese, all of whom pull together well, and love interest Darvi is never reduced to an obvious sex object. I always need to remind myself that Fuller made most of his films in the fifties because they never reflect any of the bigotry and narrow-minded xenophobia of the time. The action moves pleasingly along from the setup to an undersea dogfight to a gun-battle finale, but the movie feels somewhat stilted at times and Jones' transformation from selfish mercenary to moral leader isn't really successful. Production values are much higher than normal for Fuller's work, with a hefty budget and rich blue Cinemascope colours, but dramatically it doesn't score as well as his best work (Run Of The Arrow, Verboten!, The Crimson Kimono, Shock Corridor). Skilfully written by Fuller and Jessy Lasky Jr., and featuring a booming Wagnerian score by Alfred Newman.
Although this is not one of Fuller's best films, it's still a pretty enjoyable sub action flick and the script contains many of his usual quirks and non-stereotypical characters. What's most intriguing here is the open world-view; the crew are a mixture of American, French, Japanese and Chinese, all of whom pull together well, and love interest Darvi is never reduced to an obvious sex object. I always need to remind myself that Fuller made most of his films in the fifties because they never reflect any of the bigotry and narrow-minded xenophobia of the time. The action moves pleasingly along from the setup to an undersea dogfight to a gun-battle finale, but the movie feels somewhat stilted at times and Jones' transformation from selfish mercenary to moral leader isn't really successful. Production values are much higher than normal for Fuller's work, with a hefty budget and rich blue Cinemascope colours, but dramatically it doesn't score as well as his best work (Run Of The Arrow, Verboten!, The Crimson Kimono, Shock Corridor). Skilfully written by Fuller and Jessy Lasky Jr., and featuring a booming Wagnerian score by Alfred Newman.