"Rich" Richardson (Clark Gable) is a hard-driving, dedicated submarine officer with a single-mindedpurposeto seek out and smash the Japanese destroyer he believes sank his former ship. Given a new command, Richardson drill... more »s his men to the point of mutiny as he relentlessly trains them for the battle ahead. At last, word comes of the destroyer's position, and, disobeying orders, Richardson finally confronts his foe, unaware that an even greater enemy lurks nearby...one who's been targeting him for a watery grave. Co-starring Burt Lancaster as Gable's executive officer, this gripping WWII adventure-thriller set a new standard for submarine pictures. "Severely, nail-bitingly tense" (The New York Times), Run Silent, Run Deep is the most exciting film about the "silent service" ever made.« less
A war classic! A young Don Rickles is in this if you are a fan!
Kae K. (KHK) from EVANS CITY, PA Reviewed on 8/14/2012...
Exciting and action-packed. Good acting.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jean W. from JORDANVILLE, NY Reviewed on 9/23/2009...
great old movie. Worth watching
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
One of the greatest movies ever made... IMHO ;-)
06/01/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A suspensful, action packed drama, this film is one of my all time favorites. Performances by both Lancaster and Gable are right on the mark, they (especially Gable) had me believing they were actual naval officers. The scene where Lancaster relieves Gable of command is powerful, here we see two great actors at the peak of their skills. Gable's contempt towards Lancaster for the act is truly inspired (He virtually spits out his disgust here: "A fleet ship of the US Navy, with her fighting power intact, and your first command is to order a retreat", every time I watch this scene it gets better and better!). Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman recreate this scene in "Crimson Tide", but it doesn't match the intensity created by Lancaster and Gable in the scene from RSRD. One neat byproduct of this movie is that after watching it, you will have a pretty detailed understanding of what a WWII Balao class sub looks like, how the chain of command works, and what happens on a typical patrol - you will be educated and entertained at the same time, what a bargain! Nice supporting role by Don Rickles. A great, classic movie for sure, you won't be disappointed! END"
Run Silent, Run Deep
Steven Hellerstedt | 01/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"With a straight-ahead, no-nonsense approach by Robert Wise, strong performances by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, and a satisfying number of battle sequences, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP is a very good, if not great, war movie. Lancaster plays the newly appointed captain of the submarine, Gable plays a desk bound officer who'd had his ship shot out from under him a year earlier and wrangles a command on Lancaster's sub. Any movie starring Lancaster and Gable (which gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of the United States Navy) is going to take a potentially explosive chain-of-command conflict less seriously than will its audience. Something has to keep us glued to our seats between the "Dive! Dive!" and "Fire torpedo two" scenes. Where would we be without a grumbling crew - Is the new captain a hero? What's up with all these diving drills? - and a covey of junior officers muttering mutiny? Without its plot contrivances there'd be a whole lot of placid cooperation where a movie's supposed to be. Besides, Lancaster needs a chance to prove (or disprove) that loyalty and devotion to duty beats a stronger tattoo in a seaman's heart than does the rank call of personal ambition (the assistance of the US Navy in leading us to this insight is gratefully acknowledged.) Considering this movie's reputation, and the resume of its major contributions, I was a little surprised that the plot was so predictable and the ending so abrupt and seemingly tacked on. The scale-models subs and ships seen in battle scenes are acceptable, quite good for the time, actually, even though they probably won't convince many modern viewers. Although flawed and dated, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP remains a very good war movie, and is quite enjoyable. "
- Don't say we didn't have a Captain! -
Kim Anehall | Chicago, IL USA | 04/16/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Commander Richardson (Clark Gable) survived his last assignment as a Captain on a submarine, which was sunk in the Pacific Ocean. A year later Commander Richardson works at a desk, in Pearl Harbor, but this is not what he is meant to do as he wants to be a Submarine Captain again. He sends in a request to return to Area 7, where he once was sunk, as the area has been deemed too cursed since four other subs have been sunk there throughout the last twelve months. Commander Richardson is assigned to a new submarine, however, it was supposed to be Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe's (Burt Lancaster) assignment as he has been on the sub for two years. Despite Lieutenant Bledsoe's dislike of the navy's decision he continues to work hard for Commander Richardson, who is running diving exercises repeatedly without telling anyone why. This causes apprehension among the men on the sub as they are to enter the most feared waters of the Pacific Ocean. Run Silent, Run Deep is an interesting war film that depicts the daily frictions between Captains and the rest of the men onboard subs during the World War II. Wise creates an authentic atmosphere onboard the submarine, despite some underwater shots that obviously were shot in a swimming pool. In the end, Run Silent, Run Deep offers a suspenseful and intriguing cinematic experience."
Excellent submarine movie
T O'Brien | Chicago, Il United States | 05/26/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Run Silent, Run Deep is an excellent WWII submarine adventure with an excellent cast. It tells the story of a submarine who has received a new captain in place of one of their own officers. The new captain, Captain PJ Richardson, wants revenge on the Japanese destroyer who sunk his previous sub. The man he took the position away from, First Officer Bledsoe, instantly takes a dislike to him which causes obvious problems. The movie follows the efforts of the two men to counter each other as one seeks revenge and the other tries to save the lives of the crew. Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster are both excellent as the battling officers aboard the sub. The movie boasts an excellent supporting cast that includes Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Nick Cravat, and Don Rickles, all who do very good jobs with their roles. However, Gable, in a later role, and Lancaster steal many of the scenes they are in together. The DVD is well worth it with a booklet included and also widescreen and full screen options for viewing. This is a great movie for fans of WWII action flicks! It is often obvious how this movie influenced later submarine movies in the genre. Go and check out this movie!"
Stay away from the Bungo Straits!
Jeff Smith | Hot Springs Village, Arkansas United States | 11/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the best submarine movies ever made with superb performances by Gable and Lancaster, who star as commander and executive officer, respectively. Their characters developed well against each other in the movie, which contained plenty of realistic action.Captain Richardson (Gable), wanting to redeem himself for losing his submarine in the Bungo Straits off Japan the previous year, is successful in getting out from behind the desk and back in command of a sub, whose crew has already accepted Lancaster as their new skipper, with the previous captain being transferred to another station. However, Richardson is given command of the submarine, and the tension mounts as the power struggle continues, amidst constant diving drills and grumbling among the crew, who fear that they will be labeled "the best drill cowards in the Navy."Richardson is out to prove his theory that he can take out an Akakaze destroyer with a bow shot. This type of destroyer had sunk his sub the previous year, but it is also discovered that Japanese submarines are also lurking in the area and have picked off several unsuspecting American subs.A classic war movie, and a classic submarine movie. The only one that I would consider better is "The Boat.""