First I'd like to say that I could easily tell that Destination Tokyo was produced during the war rather than after due to its over the top patriotism. Every possible token character is on this submarine; the girl crazy stud, the dumb but lovable cook, the kid who becomes a man, the skipper who is all caring and wise, the guy who has a grudge to bear against the enemy, etc. etc. etc. And of course, they all love their country and miss their wives.
The one particular scene which I found made this movie rise above the rest was the scene in which Cary Grant was explaining why the downed Japanese Airman killed their favorite torpedoman with a knife. Typically in WWII era movies they would simply have said, "Them Japs are animals. Not civilized or even human." (Loosely quoted from John Wayne in "The Fighting Seebeas"), but not Cary Grant. Instead he explained how the Japanese were raised with the Bushido spirit. He didn't demonize them and even said they were not only fighting for their children but for the freedom of the Japanese children as well. I thought this was a bold statement in a time of war, especially WWII.
I really enjoyed this movie not only for the action but also because of the human story. The characters grow and change by the end of the film but also retain their strong sense of national pride. This movie worked really well as propaganda and portrayed the navy in a good light.
The one particular scene which I found made this movie rise above the rest was the scene in which Cary Grant was explaining why the downed Japanese Airman killed their favorite torpedoman with a knife. Typically in WWII era movies they would simply have said, "Them Japs are animals. Not civilized or even human." (Loosely quoted from John Wayne in "The Fighting Seebeas"), but not Cary Grant. Instead he explained how the Japanese were raised with the Bushido spirit. He didn't demonize them and even said they were not only fighting for their children but for the freedom of the Japanese children as well. I thought this was a bold statement in a time of war, especially WWII.
I really enjoyed this movie not only for the action but also because of the human story. The characters grow and change by the end of the film but also retain their strong sense of national pride. This movie worked really well as propaganda and portrayed the navy in a good light.