Danger Beneath the Sea (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

Absolutely average

[Lupercali · 5/10 · 11 June 2004]

Now and again you run across a movie that is so completely unremarkable, that it's hard to find anything to say about it. This is such a movie. An absolutely run of the mill telemovie which tries to tread the same path as 'Crimson Tide', and of course falls ridiculously short, but is still watchable.

A US submarine is cut off from communication with the outside world, when a North Korean nuclear test goes wrong, blanking out most of East Asia because of the electro magnetic pulse. The Executive Officer decides they're at nuclear war (with who is anyone's guess), and takes over the ship, determined to launch their nukes (at who is anyone's guess, as well). The captain and the other good guys have to stop him. It's about as basic as that.

The acting and production values are pretty decent, but it is marred by some pretty silly concepts - such as an officer on board a nuclear submarine in 2001 believing that the USSR still exists. Some of the crews' reactions also seem a bit too undisciplined and far-fetched as well.

I sat through it, whereas I've switched off more illustrious blockbusters ('Blackhawk Down' for instance). I was expecting that it might be rubbish, but it was just plain old ordinary. If it had been a cinema release I might have bagged it, but for a telemovie it's excusable. This one is nudging 5 out of 10.

OK underwater flick

[ctomvelu-1 · 6/10 · 17 July 2008]

I'm a sucker for submarine movies, so even this low-budget TV thriller works for me. Good-looking nonactor Casper Van Dien plays a nuclear sub commander whose vehicle is taken over by elements of the crew, the leader of whom is intent on starting World War III against North Korea. He convinces a few people that Korea has attacked the U.S. Nothing out of the ordinary here, and Van Dien quickly regains control, but the suspense builds nicely. The best part of the flick is a tense chase when another American sub closes in on Van Dien's with orders to destroy it. Gerald McRaney from SIMON AND SIMON plays Van Dien's boss, an admiral, but the real standout among the supporting cast is Ron White as the sub's chief petty officer. I don't know White, but I bought his act as a tough, loyal-to-the-death chief to Van Dien's commander.

Couldn't finish it

[whatch-17931 · 4/10 · 22 January 2021]

It wasn't bad for about the first half but it got so completely ridiculous I had to bail. The inciting incident is pretty ballsy for a TV film.

But would a sub's Captain and XO really go out on the sail to see it a nuke exploded a couple miles away? And as dumb as that was, would they really develop strong radiation sickness so quickly? And the captain is given a shot of iodine because of radiation acute radiation sickness and five minutes later he is fine. That's Star Trek medicine, not reality, unless that iodine was laced with amphetamines.

Could an American navy sub really have so many scheming nutters on board? That would be rather terrifying.

There are comparisons to Crimson Tide, but to some degree, submarine movies tend to be very similar because of the nature of subs. And there was a famous Soviet sub incident in the Cuban Missile Crisis where the officers differed sharply on whether to use a nuclear torpedo.

The great thing about Crimson Tide was both sides had a fairly plausible argument. Though, granted, at least to my civilian understanding, the captain there could not relieve the XO for refusing to launch regardless of the XO's reasoning. That's the whole point of the two man rule.

But it all seemed somewhat reasonable. In this film, you have scheming nutters and officers easily swayed by nutters. And one of the nutters believes the USSR still exists. Silly silly silly. Also, the stakes here are much less than those in Crimson Tide. If indeed WWIII has broken out, they are just one boat of many others, in addition to all the other nukes in the US arsenal. They are in most practical terms pretty much irrelevant.

Thinly-veiled plagiarism.

[Grumpypheasant · 1/10 · 23 February 2012]

This is Crimson Tide. They used a clever trick to hide their misdeed: they replaced most mentions of "Russia" with "North Korea" and switched the roles between the captain and the first officer. Cunning little ones. Some scenes appear to be directly lifted from Crimson Tide and recreated shot-for-shot.

That is, the "penny dreadful" version of Crimson Tide. How did they manage to make it so much worse?

Well, the addition of a stockpile of corny dialogue helped. The characters aren't much short of just uttering "OMG, it's that deadly pass, the captain is so brave and ingenious and we nearly hit that wreck like, I could touch it, like!"

As did the pointless manicheanism. The whole point of Crimson Tide was that all aboard were taking what they thought was the right course of action and that a nuclear conflict nearly arose because the US Navi protocols were inadequate. In this movie, it's hammered home quite clearly that the first officer and his men are just your usual "baddies". Their motivations are just nefarious.

And let's not forget the pointless "action" scenes and their accompanying clichés. We're not even spared the terrible "oh! The gun fired between them! Who's dead, is it the baddie or the good guy? Lookie, it's the baddie!" scene. That was never an interesting scene, why do bad movies insist on reusing it ad nauseam?

Don't watch this, watch Crimson Tide. Partly because it's objectively better in all respects (writing, acting, directing, effects) and partly because there's no reason to endorse blatant plagiarism.

"Crimson Tide" remake.....

[daveb-15 · 2/10 · 9 November 2001]

A sorry copy of "Crimson Tide" in my opinion. As each part of the film developed I just new what was going to happen next. Casper Van Dein has not been in anything nearly as good as "Starship Troopers" and it pains me to see him in this. The acting is wooden, the story predicable, give it a miss.

Dave

Waterlogged script and drowning actors

[lorenellroy · 27 May 2002]

Crimson Tide did it better.Conflict aboard an American submarine which loses contact with the rest of the world owing to a nuclear accident in North Korea.Skipper Caspar Van Diem urges caution,gung-ho second in command Shane Daley leads mutiny.Teeth are gritted,jaws are tightened ,testosterone pumps,cliches abound and after too long an interval the credits roll Makes Sub Down look good Pity because I rate Van Diem a lot but he seems stuck in TV and DTV purgatory

Good acting, well done Casper Van Dien

[italian_angel_82 · 5/10 · 26 December 2008]

Without the mega-budget and superstars, this B movie is pretty good movie to watch." Admiral Justice (Gerald McRaney) has high hopes for golden-boy Commander Miles Sheffield, (Casper Van Dien) and assigns him to the nuclear submarine USS Lansing. But Sheffield's appointment doesn't sit well with veteran officer Albert Kenner (Stewart Bick), who was passed over for the captain's post; a virulent anti-Communist, Kenner shares his grievances with the sub's like-minded swabbies. An unexpected power surge in North Korea causes a secret, ocean-based missile test to go awry, the resulting jolt disrupts the Lansing's communication systems and gives the erroneous impression that the ship has been attacked. Sheffield, who's untested in combat, advises laying low until he can confirm the hostile strike. But the paranoid Kenner does everything he can to undermine Sheffield's authority and, after they surface in a Korean Harbor, a radioactive powder rains on both the officers. Between the fact that the bay side city is dark (there's been a power blackout) and the nuclear shower, Kenner's worst fears seem to have been confirmed. Though Sheffield's wait-and-see policy is entirely appropriate, Kenner stages a mutiny and allows Sheffield to go untreated for radiation sickness. With his inner circle in place, Kenner activates a nuclear strike against North Korea. An international incident seems imminent; there's no way for Admiral Justice to contact the Lansing so Admiral Justice orders the USS Mako to search and destroy the Lansing.

P.S Great acting from all the cast, especially Casper Van Dien, Gerald McRaney and Ron White.

Terror Down Below

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 7 July 2005]

**SPOILERS** Leaving it's port of call, the US Navel base at Bangor Maine, and sailing out to the Pacific the US Nuclear Submarine USS Lansing is some ten miles off the coast of North Korea. It's then that the Communnist Koreans detonated a nuclear device short-circuiting it's electronic and communication equipment, as well as knocking out power in all the surrounding countries, leaving the ship totally in the dark to what's happening in the outside world.

The Lansing's commander young Capt. Miles Sheffield, Casper Van Dien,tries to get in contact with the Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Eugene Justice, Gerald MacRaney, headquartered at Pearl Harbor but all communications are dead. This leads the second in command of the ship Lt. Com. Albert Kenner, Stewart Bick, to feel that the US is under attack. Kenner wants Capt. Sheffield to launch the Lansing's four nuclear-tipped Tomahawk missiles at either Communist China or the new Russian government in the former Soviet Union, whom he feels are at war with the United States.

We've seen earlier in the movie that there's trouble brewing between the crew over the fact that Capt. Sheffield was put in command of the Lansing over Capt. Kenner who's more respected by many of those on board due to his much more experience in the underwater, or silent, service. With a total black-out to what's happening in the world above Capt. Sheffield tells the concerned, and almost hysterical, let. Com. Kenner that he'll have the Lansing surface to show him that everything on shore is all right and not to worry.

Breaking on the surface outside the South Korean seaport of Ulsan it turns out that there's no sign of life at all with the entire town pitch black, this due to a power black-out not a nuclear attack like Let. Com. Kenner feels happened. Later when returning below it's discovered that both Sheffield & Kenner were contaminated by fall-out, from the North Korean nuclear blast.

Kenner and his followers on the sub, seeing their chance, forcibly takes command of the Lansing from Capt.Sheffield who was suffering from a far more serious radioactive dose, as was not given the proper medication, that Kenner was. The new commander Capt. Kenner quickly has the four nuclear-tipped Thmahawk missiles armed and ready to be launched at cities in both China and Russia in retaliation for, what he thinks was, their attack on the US. With no way of getting in touch with the Lansing, and it acting erratically at sea, Admerial Justice reluctantly comes to the realization that it's in danger of igniting a world war. Admerial Justice sends out the US attack Submerine USS Mako to first communicate with the Lansing to stop it's unstable and dangerous actions or, if that doesn't work, sink it before it does.

Exciting and heart-stopping ending with Capt. Sheffield and his crewmen retaking control of the sub and at the same time being tracked by the attack-sub Mako that's trying to sink it not knowing that Capt. Sheffield had the Tomahawks disarmed and stopped from being launched. Using evasive Maneuvers the Lansing Sails underwater through the very dangerous "Tin Can Alley", aptly named for the scores of sunken ships left there from the Russo-Japanese War, outside the Russian port-city of Vladivotok.

The Lansing makes it to safety in Russian waters as the Mako withdraws from the chase not attempting to navigate through the hazardous ship graveyard. Surfacing the crew of the Lansing found out that there was indeed life in the city and that no world war broke out above sea and at the same time they didn't, unknowingly and tragically, start a world war from down below.

Not your typical submarine movie

[troybierkortte · 1/10 · 14 February 2021]

As a submariner, I have become accustomed to ignoring the technical inaccuracies in submarine movies. It would be impossible to watch them if I let those mistakes bother me. This move was different. Rather than ignoring the inaccuracies, I tried with dogged determination to find one thing that was accurate. From both the Captain and Executive Officer wearing Command at Sea pins above the right pocket, to the unrecognizable Submarine Qualification pins , to the fact hat every Petty Officer on the pier at the submarine base was an aviation rating, to the wrong people barfing out information they couldn't possibly have, to the "you can find me by the radio console" etc. Etc. Etc. The pep talk from the chief to the new sailors was ridiculous. His prediction that two thirds of them won't qualify for a rating and that half of them won't earn their Dolphins is some kind of "elite fighting force" bs that doesn't apply to subs where nearly everyone qualifies. Not one thing was realistic except for the Los Angeles class boat that was featured in the ship's external scenes. The problem is that it is the wrong class boat. Strategic nuclear weapons aren't carried aboard an attack sub. Nope. Not one thing about this movie was even close to realistic.

I could overlook Gene Hackman calling the Chief of the Boat "Mister Cobb" in Crimson Tide. I could forgive Scott Glenn for leaving his billion dollar nuclear submarine to join a boarding party (something no ship captain other than Kirk or Picard would ever do) in Red October.

But this one doesn't just do a lot of things wrong. It doesn't do a single thing right.

A movie with some merit, but not much

[pszudzik-1 · 4/10 · 20 December 2005]

Yes, I agree it was very predictable, no major surprises anywhere. Pretty sad acting by the majority, very stiff. A few of the good screen shots that I liked had nothing to do with the crew, that is, the submarine underway.

Why the Navy would even allow this to be filmed is beyond me. It portrays nothing positive about either side here. The fact that they thought that this was a plausible scenario amazes me. The number of flashing lights I saw remind me of the old Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea stories.

If you need a military flik to pass a boring Saturday, watch this... at least you don't have to pay attention to it to get the story.

My thoughts

[savagecharmed · 10/10 · 1 July 2003]

I really enjoyed this movie, not your typical submarine (Navy) movie, plus the magic that Casper brings to the film helps make this movie more than watch able. It has a good story line, I was able to understand what was happening. Over all great movie.

A must see action movie on attack subs

[b-smith · 9/10 · 22 January 2005]

Danger beneath the sea is an excellent movie.

It's similar to the movie Crimson Tide but this time it's an attack boat that has a mutiny and threatens to launch nuclear tipped Tomahawk missiles and start world war 3. It's a must see for anyone interested in subs and it is an excellent action / adventure movie. While in some respects the movie is not 100% technically accurate and the naval jargon is dumbed down a bit the filmography is excellent. Inaccuracies aside the threat of nuclear launch is a lot more believable than in the movie Crimson Tide.

Crimson Tide and the Hunt for Red October are two other excellent movies but they are out of date. This time the theoretical enemy is North Korea. This movie also takes a close look at the decisions a submarine skipper must make in isolation of commanders above him. It's amazing that a two billion dollar piece of machinery that can fire nuclear missiles is commanded by a person under the age of thirty.

Should have stayed under the sea

[jgrassoct · 17 March 2022]

Well I lasted 3 minutes of this movie. After seeing the crew were wearing RN dauphins NOT USN ones. I realized further watching would only be more frustrating trying to pretend it wasn't a SciFi movie. Anyone who thinks was "authentic" has never had any contact with the USN or seen ANYTHING about the USN submarine service. It's too bad because there are some good actors. No excuse for this F up though.

first and hooked

[hotchicofessex · 10/10 · 31 July 2004]

this was the first film i actually caught Casper in and from the first moment i was hooked on him, he has many strengths as a actor, i am gradually collecting more and more of his films, and just hope he continues the great work he is doing. i feel that Casper has the unique talent to show both a commanding and forceful role and that of the more sensitive role all in the same film. the film i felt showed how easy it could be for a situation as the one in the film, to happen, and how easy it is for things in real life to scare people when there is no need to be scared, but to look at things in a calm and sensible way, and work the best way to find a way out with out taking actions that could cost lives.

Great Submarine Film

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 17 September 2007]

Have always been a big fan of Gerald McRaney,(Admiral Eugene Justice) who gave an outstanding supporting role in this Naval story about a struggle between Commander Miles Sheffield, (Casper Van Dien) who became the skipper of the Lansing Sub over Lt. Commander Albert Kenner,(Stewart Bick). However, when North Korea sets off a nuclear bomb and completely upsets all the crew on the Lansing and causes many mental problems among the entire crew on board. This is something like the "Caine Mutiny" except the Lansing can possibly destroy many innocent nations of the world. There is plenty of great acting and there is only one female Lt. in this film who assists Admiral Eugene Justice and in many ways solved many major decisions in finding out just where the Lansing Submarine can be found. This is a very entertaining film with plenty of suspense and important decisions to make in a matter of a few seconds. Enjoy.

sexual hero by Casper Van Dien

[darima · 10/10 · 4 September 2003]

One of the Holliwood movies, which copies one another. But I watched it mainly because of Casper Van Dien. I began to do it just because I had no any more interesting thing to do that evening, but finally I was caught by it. I clearly understood that the movie itself was rather poor - idea was not new, everything was predictable, but I was charmed by Casper van Dien, as I already said. I have seen a few of his films before, but never paid any attention to him. That is just the movie where he is on his right place. Probably I would not recommend any male over 13 years old to watch this movie, but I surely can recommend any woman to try it - sexual male in the role of hero... Very romantic!