Destinazione Tokyo

There were a lot of war pictures made during WWII, though this one stands out as being far better than average. Part of this is the excellent acting and direction and part of this must be the result in writing an unusual plot for a submarine movie. Instead of just blowing up Japanese ships, the crew is ordered to sneak into Tokyo Bay. The tension, as a result of this slow covert mission, is incredible. About the only negative I can think of for the film is that there are more shots of toy subs AND the sides of the back lot pool in it than usual. Most sub films, if you look carefully, were filmed in these pools and the sides of the pool can occasionally be seen. However, the number of times you see the shot is fake is higher than normal, so it reduces my rating slightly.

FYI--try watching OPERATION PACIFIC (1951) after you see this film. In this sub movie, the crew trades movies with another sub crew so they can be entertained on their long missions. They trade a cowboy flick and are given DESTINATION TOKYO. Later, one of the crew members remarks that he liked the film, but it was REALLY SHORT ON REALISM!! That's funny, huh?!