"How far down does this ship go?"
"Oh, she'll go all the way to the bottom if we don't stop her."
During the second world war, the German's greatest weapon was a little typewriter-like machine called "Enigma." It encrypted the messages too thoroughly for the Allies to decipher. The real story of the Enigma, and how it was finally conquered, makes for a fascinating read. But that's not what this movie is about – this is an alternative story that could have happened. (Maybe. If the crew was really lucky.)
A disabled German submarine is stranded, waiting to be rescued. The Americans plan to get there first, steal the Enigma, and then sink the sub, hiding the fact that they had captured the machine. They manage to take over the disabled sub, but before they can get back to their own submarine it is attacked and sunk. Their only way home is aboard the badly damaged sub they just took over, with all the gauges and controls labeled in German.
The foreshadowing is about as subtle as a Bill Clinton proposition, and once the battles get underway the crew is just a little too lucky. But there's plenty of action, decent suspense, lots of explosions, good acting, and an opportunity to see Jon Bon Jovi get killed. All in all, well worth renting.
Stuff Blowed Up: Submarines and ships provide plenty of satisfying explosions.
© 2001 Dave Hitt
