Engaging and tense, raises moral questions

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2016)

Lifeboat is one of those films that takes place only in one spot. A handful of random survivors are thrown into a tough situation together and are stuck with each-other for a length of time. In this case, a freight ship has been sunk and the survivors gradually accumulate in a lifeboat. We meet them one by one and start to learn what's going on. We get first impressions of them but the characters gain more depth as the movie continues. And wouldn't you know it, one of the Germans from the U-Boat which also went down has to join the party as well.
Some of the people are dominating whereas other are submissive, some are upper class while others are workers. It's a microcosm of society at large. They all have stories, personal things they reveal when they feel like it. They are not caricatures but have details to their personalities - subtle quirks and contradictions. They can be reasonable and civilised but also argumentative and confrontational. They face moral choices and it's the thoughts and feelings they go through that are more important than their final decisions. We are free to assess their choices and behaviour. We see a more intense, raw side of humanity in these kinds of situations.
It's impressive that the film manages to be so engaging even within it's claustrophobic environment. It's not artificial entertainment either. We are naturally interested in the characters and whether they will survive or not. Shocks and twists occur at random intervals. New information comes up that creates more drama and tension. We don't know if we can trust the German. We don't know if the boat is headed in the right direction or not. We don't know if a storm might be just around the corner.
One part calls for an emergency operation which really had me squirming in a way few horror movies can achieve. The movie doesn't shy away from the simple reality of what is happening. The movie isn't bogged down by clichés, it's confident in the value of real people behaving realistically. I feel like Hitchcock's direction is simple and transparent. He doesn't try to do too much.
The actors are all believable and do a good job. Bankhead in particular stands out. She seems arrogant and superficial at first but emerges as mature and reasonable compared to the others. The German comes across as intelligent and calm. Canada Lee plays a dignified African-American in a time when I believe that was rare. It's a shame he's not given more to do in the film. In fact, when the others ask for his opinion on something, he's surprised and taken aback that he even gets to have a say.
It's interesting that the movie has practically no music. But the splashing water and swaying boat fulfills that job. It's calming and creates a unique atmosphere. I'm sure a lot could be read into the symbolism of a lifeboat floating in a vast ocean. You could deeply analyse the interplay of different personality types as well. I'm sure there are numerous examples of various psychological phenomena.
Lifeboat has many similarities to films like 12 Angry Men and Reservoir Dogs. We don't see the events that led up to the film. Just the aftermath. Characters judge and accuse each-other. Perhaps not everyone's versions of what happened are fully accurate. Someone might be deceiving the others or keeping quiet about something. But really these movies are just a chance to get into the human psyche a bit. To consider extreme circumstances and observe the spectrum of possible human responses. You might not like every character, but then you might like to ask what you would do in the same situation.