sddavis63
This is a very good Cold War drama about a cat and mouse game between American and Soviet nuclear submarines in the mid-Atlantic that turns potentially deadly after an accidental collision. Supposedly based on a real incident that took place shortly before the Reykjavik summit between Reagan and Gorbachev in 1986, the movie managed to capture well the level of mistrust between the two opposing subs and the dangers caused by that mistrust. Most of the action takes place on the Soviet sub, badly damaged after the collision with the crew desperately trying to get everything under control, while the Americans try to figure out exactly what the Soviets are up to.This is a relatively low budget, TV movie - and the low budget sometimes shows a bit, but all in all a worthwhile piece of entertainment. 8/10
George Parker
"Hostile Waters" tells of Soviet nuclear sub K219 which sank in 18,000 feet of water 600 miles east of Bermuda in 1986 just prior to the Regan/Gorbachev summit in Iceland. The drama spends 70% of the run on the Soviet sub (Skipper: Hauer), 10% on an American sub (Skipper: Sheen) nearby (with which the Soviet sub allegedly collided), and 20% divided between the Soviet and US situation rooms. The bulk of the film is a bunch of sweaty Submariners grunting as they struggle with wrenches while bemoaning gauges which are red-lining (a bad thing), etc. The suspenseful moments in this dumbed-down flick are dragged waaaaay out in an apparent attempt to squeeze the most out of what little story the film has to work with. An okay watch for action/drama junkies but keep expectations low. "Das Boot" it ain't. (C)
rps-2
This is a well done nail biter with great effects, sensitive acting, believable characters and gritty realism. It's been criticised for taking liberties with the book. Yet little is really known about the incident which legitimately opens the door to dramatic licence. It's right up there in the top five submarine movies of all time.
Gunter Sharp
The movie portrays a tightly scripted drama when a disaster occurs on a Soviet nuclear sub. It places the viewer in the narrow confines of the sub and reminds us of the dangers constantly faced by the crew. Potential weaknesses of nuclear fail-safe systems also become apparent.
AD
