The best sub flick since "Das Boot"...which is not saying much considering the quality of most underwater action flicks.

Rating: 6/10 (29 July 2002)

Neither as exciting or genuine as the German epic, this is still a solid, well detailed, and sleek adventure-drama...about on par with "The Hunt For Red October". Harrison Ford has the equivalent of the Sean Connery role, and his subtle and sensitive underplaying prooves that he could move with great ease into the pantheon of suave elder statesman, if he could escape the "Indiana Jones" bravado trap once and for all. The conviction of his performance gives added depth to this based on fact account of an early sixties near disaster that could have made the Cuban Missile crisis look like Kruschev at the "Can Can" set. Produced with the involvement of actual survivors of the incident (who were forced into silence for 28 years until the fall of the iron curtain), and The National Geographic Society, there is no denying the credibility of the account (even if the action is overshadowed a bit by the "Apollo 13"...hey we know what happened curse of lack of suspense. Still, strong support from ever reliable Liam Neeson...and a nice gallery of cameos from an attractive ensemble of fresh faces playing the crew give this a vitality and emotional kick far beyond the depth of most leaky, squeaky submarinaras. A very good summer matinee...and a must for fans of Ford.