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Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, John Stratton, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker ... see more see more... , Virginia McKenna , Bruce Seton , Liam Redmond , Moira Lister , June Thorburn , Megs Jenkins , Meredith Edwards , Glyn Houston , Alec McCowen , Leo Phillips , Dafydd Havard , Fred Griffiths , Laurence Hardy , Sam Kydd , Jonathan Singer , Barry Steele , Andrew Cruickshank , George Curzon , Walter Fitzgerald , Harold Goodwin , Gerard Heinz , John Warner , Russell Waters , Barry Letts , Don Sharp , Ronald Simpson , Herbert C. Walton , Warwick Ashton , Jack Howard , Harold Jamieson , Gaston Richer , Gerik Schjelderup , Anthony Snell

In this seagoing military drama set in World War II, Lt. Comdr. Ericson (Jack Hawkins) is made captain of a British corvette, a small escort vessel used to guide and protect convoys traveling through ... read more read more...the Atlantic. Ericson had his confidence severely shaken during his last command, in which he lost his ship and most of its men following an attack by a German U-boat. As he leads a new and largely inexperienced crew aboard the H.M.S. Compass Rose, Ericson is once again thrown into a life-and-death dilemma that forces him to choose between destroying an enemy ship and sparing the lives of his own men. The Cruel Sea featured breakthrough early performances from Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna, and it was based on a best-selling novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, who stipulated that the film rights could be sold only to a British company. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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84% liked it

305 ratings

Unrated, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Charles Frend

Release Date: August 19, 1953

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DVD Release Date: March 22, 2005

Stats: 54 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (54)

  • garyX
    February 3, 2009
    garyX
    The Cruel Sea is a seafaring drama set during WWII, following an escort ship and its crew battling German U-boats. It's very much a film of its time; the propaganda element is heavy, the enemy unseen for the vast majority of the time, and it's full of stiff upper lipped officers ... read morethrowing in with the working classes. For this reason, it seems very dated, and the scenes on shore consist of the usual kitchen sink soap opera melodrama. British stalwarts Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden put in decent performances but it's lacking any real star presence and some ham fisted direction (particularly the voice over flashbacks) damages the film's authenticity. It is interesting to see the nuts and bolts of how such a ship was operated and the battle scenes are believably realistic, but I can't see this being of much interest to any but military historians and the nostalgic.

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Critic Reviews

March 26, 2009
Variety

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January 10, 2004
Chicago Reader

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A.H. Weiler
May 20, 2003
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

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Emanuel Levy
July 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Mark R. Leeper
November 18, 2004
Mark R. Leeper, rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

June 24, 2006
Time Out

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May 24, 2003
Film4

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The Cruel Sea Trivia

  • What is the name of the ship in The Cruel Sea?  Answer »
  • Which of the following actors didn't appear in the war movie - The Cruel Sea?  Answer »
  • Who is this actor? I have been seen in Guns of Navarone, Zulu, Hell Drivers, The Cruel Sea, and A Hill in Korea.  Answer »
  • (1984) Mutiny at sea has often made for good cinema, especially when the man who inspires the rebellion is as cruel as Captain Bligh. Liam Neeson plays a Seaman under Fletcher Christian?s (played by Mel Gibson) command, in this remake of one of the most widely know mutinies.   Answer »
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