User reviews

Nice underwater drama film based on a real-life incident about pitting man and machine . It deals with an US Navy atomic submarine (commanded by Charlton Heston on his final voyage and as second in command Ronnie Cox) that has accidentally collided with Norway freighter and goes down into deep . The movie concerns upon an American sub , the complications originated for a nuclear scape and fight against time . But the submarine, and its crew, are ill prepared for the challenges they will face . A two-man rescue operation by means of an experimental driving craft (captained by David Carradine and Ned Beatty) try to find the victims , as many sailors will have to sacrifice themselves to save life of crew members. And a greatest ship based in San Diego California with an expert crew of ¨Submarine Rescue Unity¨ heads the sinking location.

Runtime film is overlong , the flick is slow moving and a little boring , though a bit monotonous is quite interesting. Tense and exciting at times and climatic ending , but lot of minutes are superfluous ,it has half hour of excess, however the movie is enough agreeable.

The yarn is interesting and based on real deeds as submarine U.S.S. Thresher that sank in 1963 in one of the worst catastrophes at sea. There are suspense ,thriller and action, though the scenario is mostly developed into submarines.

Charlton Heston's performance as commandant is excellent, he hands perfectly the role , Heston has gotten the best character along with David Carradine as valiant skipper . Ronny Cox's acting as the contender official is first rate. Facing off between two commanders is top-notch . And large support cast as Stephen McHattie, Dorian Harewood, Charles Cioffi, Rosemary Forsyth and look for Christopher Reeve and Michael O'Keefe .

David Greene direction is fine and cinematography is atmospheric and colorful . Jerry Fielding music is spectacular and adjusted to film.

The movie will appeal to disaster genre enthusiasts and action lovers . Rating : 6,5 , better than average .

Gray Lady Down is one of the better Seventies disaster films and it's also one of the better films that Charlton Heston did in the later part of his career starting in the Seventies. Heston like so many other of the stars of the studio era was finding fewer and fewer decent film properties to do. This was one of his better choices.

Heston plays the skipper of a nuclear powered submarine which goes down in a collision. Things get further complicated when the 'gray lady' is buried partially in an undersea mudslide, blocking the escape hatch.

The Naval Rescue service is on the job however, but this will prove a difficult task.

The film is divided evenly between Heston and his crew as Heston tries to keep morale up that the survivors will be rescued and on the surface rescue vessel where a conflict between two captains hampers the rescue effort. Stacy Keach is the captain of the rescue vessel and his conflict is with Keith Carradine also of captain's rank who's developed a special undersea two man vessel that can scoop the dirt off the gray lady.

Special mention should go to Ronny Cox who is Heston's number two and also not really getting along with him, but who steps up to the plate in a most heroic fashion.

In 1978 when Gray Lady Down came out there were still memories of the submarine U.S.S. Thresher which went down in 1963 with all hands lost in one of the U.S. Navy's worst disasters at sea. A lot of what you see in this film was developed because of that tragedy.

Gray Lady Down is a no nonsense sea rescue film with the impossible situations that characterized a lot of the films of this type kept out of the story. It's one of the best and yet most unsung of the disaster films of the decade. Should be seen more often. Charlton Heston and the rest of the cast do a fine job on this film.

Watching this rescue-of-a-sinking-sub film back in the day, it must have felt kind of redundant in the wake of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) and AIRPORT’ 77 (1977); that said, it didn’t hinder movie mogul Lew Grade from financing a production not long after depicting the biggest (fictional) rescue operation of all time with RAISE THE TITANIC (1980) – which, incidentally, is a title I haven’t watched in some time!

In any case, GRAY LADY DOWN is as much a drama detailing the plight of the sub’s constantly diminishing crew, commandeered by the oh-so-stoic Charlton Heston, as a showcase for novel sea exploration/rescue techniques (in the form of a mini-sub armed with sonar and camera designed and maneuvered by David Carradine). The tension arises out of the fact that the damaged vessel is slipping ever downwards due to the water level inside and the unstable surface where it’s been lodged; added to this, however, is antagonism going on both above and below the surface (between Carradine and Stacy Keach, the officer in charge of the rescue operation, and between Heston and Ronny Cox, the man who was supposed to relieve him of duty, respectively). Also in the cast is Ned Beatty as Carradine’s long-suffering chubby pal and Christopher Reeve (in his film debut) as Keach’s young aide; interestingly, the two would be re-united soon after for SUPERMAN (1978)!

The film is aided by nice Widescreen photography and a serviceable score by Jerry Fielding, but let down somewhat by overlength (the repetitive and draggy nature of events tending towards a general dullness). However, as I said in reviews of some of the other disaster movies I’ve been watching of late, while most of these were pretty much dismissed when originally released, with time, have achieved an undeniable campy charm (amusingly, at one point the submerged crew choose to watch JAWS [1975] – conveniently, also a Universal production – as a means of respite from their current dilemma, but especially when Heston proclaims in desperation: “I feel like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest!”).

A truly wonderful underappreciated gem from the tail-end of the "disaster" films of the 1970s, that was also Charlton Heston's last film as an action lead. What really makes "Gray Lady Down" a terrific film is that unlike the disaster films of the 90s (and some of the bad ones of the 70s), there is an air of believability to the whole thing. We don't see anything extremely outlandish, and we don't see incredible death-defying feats by the leads who then improbably survive such endeavors. Instead, we get a sense of how the real Navy might respond to a crisis like this and the end result proves to be quite gripping.

The cast is great, including Heston as the downed sub's captain, Stacy Keach (minus his usual hairpiece-a rarity) as the squadron commander, and surprisingly David Carradine who after all those years of "Kung Fu" shows that he can handle a different kind of role credibly. Christopher Reeve has a bit part as an officer, and this helped bring him to the attention of the Salkinds when they were looking for candidates for "Superman." Fine score by Jerry Fielding too.

I remember seeing this movie in the theater when it came out and the review in Time magazine. OK I remember one part of what was a positive review. It said that the movie avoids the bane of the disaster genre, the subplot. The best sentence in the review that I think describes the movie perfectly is," It is a job-oriented movie about job-oriented men." I can't think of a better way to describe it. The actors give there best professional naval officer performances (well maybe not Carradine...good performance...not sure about the naval officer part) and the movie sticks its subject, the rescue. An entertaining movie that delivers a straightforward story and there is nothing wrong with that.

This is a great movie for military enthusiasts and disaster buffs both. If you're looking for that, this is a classic.

Don't pay attention to reviews about military-based films by anyone who derides the movie as a "waterlogged Naval documentary," which contains two errors in one statement. First, there is no need to capitalize "naval," and second, what kind of snobby theater twit attacks a movie for being too "Naval" when the subject is about...a U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE? Next he'll attack Ghostbusters for being a shill for paranormal investigators.

Stupid reviewers aside, this is a good movie.

I first saw "Gray lady Down" in the theater (Floral Park, NY). I've seen quite a few times since. The cast is very good. The movie looks great. It has more than a couple of tense moments. It moves fast with little, if any, downtime. "Gray Lady Down" is not a classic. I wouldn't put it on any of my Top Ten lists but I always have a good time when I watch it.

Gray Lady Down is directed by David Greene and collectively adapted to screenplay by James Whittaker, Howard Sackler and Frank P. Rosenberg from the novel Event 1000 written by David Lavallee. It stars Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Stephen McHattie and Ronny Cox. Music is by Jerry Fielding and cinematography by Stevan Larner.

Hanging onto the coat tails of the Disaster Movie boom of the 70s, Gray Lady Down is pretty much routine. Plot basically finds a nuclear submarine struck by a boat and sunk to the depths of the treacherous ocean floor. The crew, Captained by a bearded and gruff Heston, are naturally also teetering on the edge of doom unless the Navy can pull off a miracle salvage operation and save the day. Enter Carradine and Beatty in a new Thunderbird like device that although untried in reality, may just be up for the job?

Thus from this plot onwards is a role call of robotic characterisations and adherence to the genre's formula. Men in the sub either sweat and be stoic, or crack and be sacrificed, while up above the waves the hierarchy think they know best while Carradine's unconventional Captain Gates knows otherwise. It's all very muscular, even if some of the dialogue came out of a cheese sandwich, and undeniably the effects work is decent and the suspense is pumped up for maximum impact. Yet if you have seen any other Disaster Movie from the 70s you are likely to be jaded with this "Join The Navy" advertisement. 6/10

A solid disaster thriller that gets going early on and never loses track of the situation. I find submarine-set films all quite similar and this doesn't really break any new ground, but it has a good ensemble cast - you don't often see David Carradine in this kind of film, for example - and a nice attention to detail that works. Some of the model work is a little dated but that's normal for the 1970s.

Charlton Heston is the Captain of the "USS Neptune", a nuclear submarine returning to port after his final mission in command. Whilst running on the surface they collide with a Norwegian boat with faulty radar and sink deep down into the Atlantic and end up perched precariously on a ledge prone to rockslides. It's now a race against time to rescue the seamen and Stacy Keach ("Capt. Bennett") is drafted in to lead the rescue with the help of "Capt. Gates" (David Carradine) who brings his revolutionary "Snark" DSRV to the scene of the accident. As usual, there are personality clashes a plenty; panic scenarios and temper tantrums as tools to try and develop story tension and suspense - they work well enough with the crew on the sub; much less so with the crew on the surface where the acting is far more of the willy-waving variety. Unlike many of these disaster movies, it's got good gadgets and they help keep it quite realistic.

I rented it with the wife one day after remembering seeing it as a child. 5.6 is about the right rating for this film. Not a failure, but not that entertaining either. Many other sub movies like Das Boat give a better feel. Heston does another great role, it is hard to name many bad films he has been it. In the end, rent something else! 5/10

One of the better disaster films of the 70s with fine performances by Charlton Heston and David Carradine, lending strong support are Stacy Keach, Stephen McHattie, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, and a cast of recognizable faces including Christopher Reeve in his film debut pre-Superman. Solid thrills and tension throughout with a tight script and believable story based on a real incident (supposedly). Solidly entertaining and holds up well. One of the best submarine films out there. Highly recommended.

"Gray Lady Down", which bears very little resemblance to the novel it was based on, is a nice, entertaining action thriller that holds up well today in contrast to today's action films because it's cloaked with a realism and plausibility that today's filmmakers seem determined to avoid like the plague.

The 70s were full of a certain type of disaster movie, and this is one more from that cookie cutter production line. The common thread in all these movies is that they're just not very good... and not very good for the exact same reason, namely terrible writing.

Most aspects of this movie are adequate. The pacing is as good as can be expected (given the script), the models are amateurish, but hey, it's 1977, the acting is what you expect from those actors. The problem is that this movie (and all its siblings) don't understand that they way you make a disaster movie gripping and intense is FOCUS! You pick your disaster, and from that point on, EVERYTHING in the script is one hundred percent concentrated on resolving the disaster and dealing with how it "fights back". Think for example of a recent quality disaster movie like The Martian, or Apollo 13.

This movie comes from the amateur hour screenplays of the 70s that were under the delusion that throwing in the kitchen sink would somehow ramp up the tension. And so we have at least four (by my count) back stories that appear for a scene or three, are supposed to generate some tension (but in fact merely divert focus) and then disappear never to be mentioned again. It's pathetic!

There's a reason a movie like Airplane had SO much fodder to work with... And this movie is very much in line with what Airplane was mocking.

Gray Lady Down is one of the better disaster movies of the late 70's The above title is a naval term for sub down. During a routine exercise off the coast of Connecticut, The Neptune is caught in dense fog Which unfortunatetly is rammed by an Norwegian trawler, the sub then sinks To terrifying depths and then rests on a unstable precipice which is overlooking a abyss beyond the point of no return. Charlton Heston gives an always great performance as the captain as does Ronny Cox as Hestons second in command. Stacy Keach plays the admiral back on shore who mounts the daring rescue mission, David Caradine also stars plays a creator of an experimental sub who plays a pivotal role in the rescue operation Ned Beatty delivers some much needed comic relief as Caradines bumbling Assistant, Strangely underrated Gray Lady Down, slowly but surely is just getting the recognition it finally deserves thanks to frequent TV showings and its DVD release finally in Anamorphic 235:1 WideScreen,

I shamelessly admit that the typical "disaster-movie" sub-genre of the 1970s is one giant guilty pleasure of mine! Why? I simply love those massively-budgeted popcorn blockbusters with their all-star casts, their meticulously detailed set-pieces, their over-the-top incredible stunt work and their non-stop spitfires of special effects. If you, like me, assume that "Gray Lady Down" is another great thrill-ride comparable to titles like "Airport", "Rollercoaster", "The Hindenburg" or whatever other mid-70s disaster movie, there's a fair chance you'll end up sorely disappointed. And here's why:

This film certainly has the astonishing ensemble cast of an entertaining disaster movie, but everything else in terms of action, spectacle and suspense is missing. In fact, it's a straightforward story about the troubled rescue mission of US Navy submarine that sunk after a collision with a cargo ship. The sub is balancing on the edge of a steep cliff, it's covered with heavy rocks and naturally there are several leaks through which the water is sipping in. The 37-headed crew can't do anything except wait, while the US Military council decides to put all hope on Captain Gates' experimental mini-diving device called the Snark. I think I would have appreciated this film a lot more if it had been called "A Snark's Tale".

The entire film, and particularly the whole rescue mission, is beyond tedious and unremarkable. Unlike in every other 70s disaster movie ever made, the action is monotonous and unbearably slow-paced. The characters in peril obviously cannot attempt to flee or make various other stupid mistakes. They are trapped in an underwater tin can with nothing but pathetic lines to say. Also, this type of film usually features a cast full of "regular" people with a wide variety of loathsome personalities. There always is a loud-mouthed but cowardly businessman, a stubbornly obnoxious authority figure, a docile but sexy damsel-in-distress, a helpless child (usually even with a horrible illness), or a wannabe heroic macho who makes every dangerous situation even worse. In "Gray Lady Down" we are stuck with only polished, disciplined and courageous US Navy Mariners. They are practically standing in line to sacrifice their own lives to save the others, and it's boring!

Charlton Heston is definitely one of the uncrowned kings of 70s disaster cinema, as he appeared in "Skyjacked", "Two-Minute Warning", "Airport 1975" and "Earthquake", but here he's given absolutely nothing to work with. He can't be his own heroical self and his performance is thus very mechanical. The supportive cast is full of great names (Stacy Keach, Ronny Cox, Dorian Harewood, Ned Beatty, Christopher Reeve, ...) but their roles are underwhelming. David Carradine is decent as the rebellious Snark-Captain, but he clearly feels more comfortable in his other completely different contemporary roles like "Death Race 2000" or "Circle of Iron".

Bad acting all round here - amazing what Charlton Heston and Ned Beatty descended to to make a movie. Dumb story and anything but "gripping" as the description says. Unfortunately just another flavor of 70s disaster movies in the same vein of Posiedon Adventure, Towering Inferno and Earthquake. I predicted the end of this movie about 20 minutes in and was right on the money! Don't waste the time unless you really like naval movies that seriously stretch the imagination about how sea rescues really work or if you just have to see Charlton Heston in another mediocre role just to say you've seen them all. Special effects aren't bad given the era.

This movie has non-stop action right from the first. The suspense and action combined keep you at the edge of your seat the whole movie. Charlton Heston is excellent as always and so is the rest of the cast. All action scenes are believable. This movie has everything going for it, and is worth the money to rent.

GRAY LADY DOWN

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: Mono

Whilst heading home on its final voyage, a nuclear submarine is sunk by a careless fishing vessel and lands on a crumbling ledge above a yawning abyss.

Arriving at the tail-end of the 1970's disaster cycle, this half-baked thriller toplines catastrophe stalwart Charlton Heston (going through the motions) as an iron-jawed captain who preserves morale amongst his surviving crewmembers while awaiting rescue by military top brass (including Stacy Keach and David Carradine). Unfortunately, the basic scenario - remarkably similar to another sub-in-peril drama, MORNING DEPARTURE, filmed in 1950 - is fairly humdrum, and once it's been established that the survival of Heston's crew depends on work carried out by a unique exploratory vessel created by Carradine, the plot begins to alternate between non-activity in the sub and endless journeys to and from the stricken vessel by Carradine's miniature craft. TV director David Greene fails to generate much excitement, and the outcome is entirely predictable. Co-stars Ned Beatty and Christopher Reeve were re-teamed later the same year in Reeve's break-out movie, SUPERMAN.

This movie was great! The acting is outstanding. David Carridine was riveting. This was Charleton Heston's last major action movie. It has you on the edge of your seat until the very end. In particular, some unanticipated acts of altruism take your breath away. Stacey Keach plays a good part. The rest of the cast (all of whom are still alive today except for Christopher Reeve) are all very good. Do not pay any attention to the negative comments that others have left here. They simply do not make movies of this caliber very often, especially these days where everything is about sex and stupidity. This is a thinking man's movie, very realistic in a lot of respects and ahead of its time in others. I learned things and was entertained at the same time.

so the radar guy notified the two guys on the tower that an object was on the same course in the opposite direction 6,000 yards away and approaching. those two guys on the tower just took a look in the fog, saw nothing (but of course!) and told the radar watcher to notify them when the distance between them was reaching 3,000 yards. can you believe this kind stupid operation by a u.s. nuclear submarine?! why they had to maintain the cruise course? why they could not adjust the course just a lit bit to avoid any possible crash? were there so many objects in front of the submarine that forced it to maintain their course? well, what a stupid scenario! when the radar guy notified the captain of the foreign cargo ship lost their radar, he ran up to the bridge to notify the captain, he just told the crew to continue the course. one of the bridge member asked the captain: "don't we have to stop the ship to repair the radar first in this heavy fog?" well, if the captain decided to stop the cargo ship, the stupid submarine would still crash into the cargo ship, because the subs would still maintain their crash course. this is such a stupid movie that sickened me to the extreme. a good movie would not bend itself too wide just to make the scenarios serve the development of it so conveniently, overlooking the illogical, ridiculous and unreasonable plot. i just couldn't go on once a stupid premise blindly served the purpose. watching this stupid movie is like after heard the warning of the radar guy they were on a crash course to an approaching object 6,000 yards away, yet the two guys on the conning tower simply told him to notify them when it reached them on the same course @ 3,000 yards. you heard my similar warning here too, but you still decided to maintain on the crash-collision course. good luck and, see you on the bottom of the deep ocean.

"Gray Lady Down" is a poor film. A fine cast of character actors are being wasted with mediocre material. Charlton Heston was slightly past his best in terms of box office appeal but his fans might enjoy this film. Look out for a young pre-Superman Christopher Reeve in a small role. "Gray Lady Down" was one of his first films. We have been here before, regarding the plot. There are no fresh twists or surprises of any kind. Forgettable fare.