Gray Lady Down
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DVD Cover Information Actor: Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Ned Beatty, Stacy Keach, Stephen McHattie Director: David Greene Brand: Universal Studios Cinematographer: Stevan Larner Editor: Robert Swink Producer: Walter Mirisch Writer: David Lavallee Writer: Frank P. Rosenberg Writer: Howard Sackler Writer: James Whittaker DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Norwegian (Original Language) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 111 minutes DVD Release Date: 2001-01-01 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Universal Studios |
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Movie Reviews of Gray Lady Down
Movie Review: Charlton Heston's career goes down with the ship
Summary: 2 Stars
How sad it was to watch the once-great actor Charlton Heston's career go down with the ship in the '70's, as he finished his career as the star of major studio fare with "Gray Lady Down," an undistinguished, by-the-numbers disaster opus in which he's the captain of a nuclear submarine that sinks to the bottom of the ocean after being accidentally rammed by a Russian ship. The film follows the Navy's desperate attempt to rescue the surviving crew members before they run out of air, or worse yet, fall off the ridge they are resting on and crush in the resulting water pressure.
That's it for plot. What follows is pure tedium, as Heston and crew (watch closely for Michael O'Keefe and a pre-"Superman" Christopher Reeve) struggle to survive while the Naval authorities above (led by Stacy Keach and David Carradine) come up with a rescue plan. Evidently, all rescue procedures showcased in the film are authentic and were in use at the time, but so what? Watching this film is like spending two hours watching a bunch of sweating men sitting in a sauna. Director David Greene (an ace TV director who is out of his league on the big screen) manages to create absolutely no suspense or urgency in nearly two hours and exhibits zero style or technique. Even the musical score is boring.
As for the performances, Heston seems less stiff here than in "Airport 1975," but he once again fails to exhibit any of the charisma or phenomenal talent he displayed in classics like "Ben-Hur," "A Touch of Evil," and "The Planet of the Apes." He just looks tired, and it's no wonder that this was his last major studio film and that only three more star vehicles would follow: the unfortunate trio of the vulgar "The Mountain Men," the horrible "The Awakening" and the middling actioner "Mother Lode." Keach, on the other hand, is effective as the chief rescuer, Ned Beatty provides needed moxie as a particularly sweaty rescue worker, and David Carradine adds an offbeat edge as an unusual, zen-like Naval officer. (Although even then he appears to be waiting for Quentin Tarantino to grow up and create "Kill Bill" for him.) Unfortunately, Ronny Cox exits early as Heston's doomed replacement (cliche alert: this is Capt. Heston's final voyage, natch).
In all, "Gray Lady Down" is a total misfire and plays like a tired rehash of "Airport '77." And it looks particularly bad when compared to great submarine films like "Das Boot," "The Hunt for Red October" and "Crimson Tide." In all, it sinks faster than the submarine.
Incidentally, the DVD in in panavision widescreen (2:35:1) and is remastered with superior sound. However, there are no special features of any kind. All in all, a tired presentation of a tired film. ** (out of *****)