Naval Combat Movies
September 11, 2022 7:26 PM Subscribe
What other movies are like Master and Commander in that they almost entirely revolve around period, on-ocean, ship combat?
I'm excluding moves like Battleship, but I guess feel free to suggest wacky things that might not quite hit the mark.
The Battle of the River Plate is a techincal WWII naval conflict film by the Archers.
(I think Das Boot is the best film I've ever seen of this genre).
posted by ovvl at 7:53 PM on September 11, 2022
(I think Das Boot is the best film I've ever seen of this genre).
posted by ovvl at 7:53 PM on September 11, 2022
Greyhound, the Tom Hanks movie.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 7:56 PM on September 11, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 7:56 PM on September 11, 2022 [3 favorites]
It's more modern in setting than it sounds like you're after, and nominally a comedy, but Down Periscope is much beloved by folks I know who have connections to the submarine warfare community.
posted by Alterscape at 10:00 PM on September 11, 2022
posted by Alterscape at 10:00 PM on September 11, 2022
So many
HMS Defiant [1962]- Mutiny and broadside in Napoleonic era British navy starring Alec Guinness & Dirk Bogarde
Captain Horatio Hornblower [1951] Captain Gregory Peck in same era adventure romance.
The Cruel Sea [1953] - Jack Hawkins on convoy duty in WWII Atlantic.
posted by BobTheScientist at 10:47 PM on September 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
HMS Defiant [1962]- Mutiny and broadside in Napoleonic era British navy starring Alec Guinness
Captain Horatio Hornblower [1951] Captain Gregory Peck in same era adventure romance.
The Cruel Sea [1953] - Jack Hawkins on convoy duty in WWII Atlantic.
posted by BobTheScientist at 10:47 PM on September 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Despite getting almost uniformly negative reviews for its screenplay, Midway (2019) got some praise from naval historians for being pretty realistic in its depiction of that battle, particularly compared to the 1976 Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda version of the same name.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:33 PM on September 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:33 PM on September 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
The National Interest names the 10 best naval movies on Earth
posted by kschang at 12:06 AM on September 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
- Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (1999)
- Master and Commander (2003)
- The Caine Mutiny (1954)
- Mister Roberts (1955)
- In Harm's Way (1965)
- The Enemy Below (1957)
- Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
- Crimson Tide (1995)
- The Admiral (2014) historical Korean navy
- Admiral (2015) historical Dutch navy
posted by kschang at 12:06 AM on September 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Not a movie, but the late '90s/early aughts British TV series Hornblower is well regarded. Possible bonus: Ioan Gruffudd is a dish.
posted by happyfrog at 1:23 AM on September 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by happyfrog at 1:23 AM on September 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
Wacky thing that might not hit the mark: Zipang is an anime series (rather than a movie) where a modern-day Japanese ship accidentally time-travels to World War 2. There's plenty of ship and naval air combat, both between period ships and involving the modern one.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:57 AM on September 12, 2022
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:57 AM on September 12, 2022
Oh goodness, 10 comments without The Hunt for Red October?
posted by nkknkk at 3:53 AM on September 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by nkknkk at 3:53 AM on September 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the ur-Hornblower-in-outer-space movie.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:52 AM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:52 AM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Came to mention Greyhound, too.
BTW, Master and Commander (the film) is a pastiche of several of O'Brien's installments in the Aubrey-Maturin series, each of which features one or more period-perfect naval battles from history. If you love that sort of thing, pick them up with all speed!
posted by jquinby at 7:12 AM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
BTW, Master and Commander (the film) is a pastiche of several of O'Brien's installments in the Aubrey-Maturin series, each of which features one or more period-perfect naval battles from history. If you love that sort of thing, pick them up with all speed!
posted by jquinby at 7:12 AM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Are you open to a movie about another seagoing branch of the military? Onionhead is a WWII movie set onboard a USCG cutter.
posted by dlwr300 at 9:51 AM on September 12, 2022
posted by dlwr300 at 9:51 AM on September 12, 2022
Zipang is an anime series (rather than a movie) where a modern-day Japanese ship accidentally time-travels to World War 2.
And The Final Countdown is a movie where a modern US aircraft carrier goes back in time right before Pearl Harbor.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:23 PM on September 12, 2022
And The Final Countdown is a movie where a modern US aircraft carrier goes back in time right before Pearl Harbor.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:23 PM on September 12, 2022
Almost any pirate movie; "Captain Blood" with Erroll Flynn being one example; "The Crimson Pirate" with Burt Lancaster is another. There are plenty of others. Note that some are more realistic depictions of naval fighting techniques than others
posted by TimHare at 10:00 PM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by TimHare at 10:00 PM on September 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
« Older Check for recent asymptomatic Covid before getting... | How to keep coworkers from hearing therapy... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:30 PM on September 11, 2022 [14 favorites]