We'll start things off with a cold war suspense film about a destroyer and its captain in the hunt for a mysterious unidentified submarine somewhere in the general vicinity of Greenland.

Sydney Poitier stars as reporter Ben Munceford, sent to the ship to observe and interview captain Eric Finlander (played by Richard Widmark) on what should be a routine patrol mission. Of course things aren't that simple, and during the cold war, it's made clear there isn't much simple about anything at all.

We're given a good hard look at the state of cold-war politics as it relates to the military here. The captain and his crew on the perpetual hunt, but never able to pull the trigger; The German ex-U-boat commander who's experience is asked for but ultimately ignored as he longs for the "good old days" of naval warfare. The aging navy doctor relegated to roles he doesn't feel fit to play....

And ultimately, its that tension, confusion and misinterpretation that ends the film in a final and explosive fashion.

The film follows a pretty basic plot, ship trails unidentified sub, assuming its Soviet. Along the way various events ensue, such as getting stuck in the icebergs, compartments flooding, and sabotage insinuated, or at least blamed on the increasing complexity of their military hardware. Despite its episodic and ultimately predictable (to a point) nature, the movie manages to maintain a certain amount of tension, both relating to the hunt for the Soviet sub and the tension between crewmembers.

Of course, like a lot of mid-60s cold war movies (think Fail-Safe-ish), the end comes swiftly and without much reflection (you're left to do that on your own) I suppose to portray how the impending World War III would be fought.

So, if you're in the mood for an always-tense cold war suspense-fest, then The Bedford Incident is right up your alley. 1965, Black and White, 102 minutes.



Technorati Tags: movies, war, cold war, reviews, the bedford incident