The Frogmen
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Movie Reviews of The Frogmen
Movie Review: As film, good story. As history, good grief!
Summary: 4 Stars
A good producer's film, "The Frogmen" sails along at a steady clip. Good acting, with limited exposure to individual talent. Essentially, it is a sequence of vignettes, combined with action scenes. A solid showcase for
the U.S. Navy, circa the early 1950s, it is a misleading portrayal of the
World War II era. Introduced to the Teams in the late Forties, aqualungs
saw little use even in Korea. Limited visability in mined harbors called
for free swimming, mostly.
Standard issue for late-World War II UDTs, M-26 life belts, the "invasion
belts" used widely at Normandy, are off the radar, here. Appearing early
on in the story, coral shoes take a powder in a later scene depicting the
cast and recovery of swimmers, which is otherwise the most accurate thing
in the film.
The actual UDT 4 was not at Iwo Jima, where plunging surf was a challenge
for combat swimmers, unhindered by artificial obstacles. Iwo entered the script, I suspect, to add a sense of off-screen drama, but primarily as a
means of establishing the time frame.
Actual West Coast UDT personnel add considerable visual authenticity. It
is a fine tribute to their own professionalism.
Jim O'Dell
Historian
Movie Review: "Right smack into Jap country."
Summary: 4 Stars
Fast-moving and thoroughly entertaining WWII actioner with solid performances by a big name, all male cast: Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews, Jeffrey Hunter, Gary Merrill, Harvey Lembeck and if you don't blink Robert Wagner.
The guys of Underwater Demolition Team #4 idolized their last commander but when he died it's up to newcomer Widmark to fill his shoes. And if that's not a tall enough order to fill already, he has to do it while infiltrating Japanese strongholds. Lots of action including some underwater hand-to-hand combat. Highly recommended for WWII buffs.
DVD has a great picture, but the extras only consist of three trailers. How about a commentary by a Navy SEALs historian? That would have been interesting.
D: Lloyd Bacon (THE SULLIVANS, LARCENY, INC.)
Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence - Richard Widmark (NIGHT AND THE CITY, ROLLERCOASTER)
Jake Flannigan - Dana Andrews (THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, LAURA)
Pappy Creighton - Jeffrey Hunter (THE SEARCHERS, THE LAST HURRAH)
Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vincent - Gary Merrill (ALL ABOUT EVE, TWELVE O' CLOCK HIGH)
Marvin W. Mikowsky - Harvey Lembeck (STALAG 17, THE GONG SHOW MOVIE)
Lt. Franklin - Robert Wagner (AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER, THE TOWERING INFERNO)
Movie Review: Into the Deep end of the Pool
Summary: 4 Stars
I had never heard of this movie until it popped up as an Amazon recommendation, and I read purchaser reviews of it. I'm glad I was guided by those reviews.
It's a well written and well acted little movie about a WWII UDT team accustoming themselves to a new leader, who replaces a very popular leader who died in action. Richard Widmark is great as the somewhat stiff and by the book new officer. So too is Dana Andrews as the chief petty officer who will become the linch pin around the eventual acceptance of the new leader by the team. In between, however, there is a lot of friction between them,
As an avid SCUBA diver, I found it interesting how primative and minimal the UDT teams equipment was. The underwater photography was suprisingly well done for the time, although probably done in a back lot pool, as there was not a fish in sight.
If you like human drama as much as load explosions, give this one a try.
Movie Review: Passes an hour or more enjoyably
Summary: 4 Stars
The frogmen (the Underwater Demolitions Teams) depicted in this film were the WWII precursors to the modern Navy SEALS. This was the reason to get the film, and it did not disappoint, with plenty of scenes depicting the frogmen at work.
As a film, The Frogmen is weak, but no more so than many WWII films of the same era. Widmark plays a slightly more than 2-dimensional commanding officer, but the writers never give us a convincing reason for his team's change of heart and acceptance at the end of the film. Corny devices like a torpedo that conveniently lodges in a hull with the arming device faced up are standard fair for films like this, I think. No marks off.
As another reviewer mentioned, I would have appreciated something more from the special features.
Movie Review: Decent & Genuine
Summary: 4 Stars
A good story, well told. No fake, false heroics, no garbage: just straight down the line. It is therefore ten times more convincing and realistic than the Oscar-winning WWII twaddle being served up by Hollywood these days. This, one feels, is what war operations were truly like: efficient teams carrying out effective, well-disciplined, well-organised missions. The technology of frogman drill was particularly interesting. Those who imagine that WWII was about a bunch of morons wandering around in sunlit fields, looking for a lost sheep, are welcome to their fantasies. They are unfortunately unaware of the meaning of a good job, well done. Some casualties, but no tears.