Submarine Movies: Essential Films

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1933 - 201938 Films69h 45m3.6 Average

This watch list captures the breadth of submarine cinema across nearly a century of filmmaking. From early classics like Hell Below to modern thrillers like The Wolf's Call, the included films represent key examples of the subgenre.

Our collection spans WWII dramas, Cold War tensions, and contemporary adventures, including both serious war films and lighter fare like the comedy Operation Petticoat. You'll find everything from the claustrophobic realism of Das Boot to the sci-fi adventures of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Fantastic Voyage, allowing you to explore historical battles, nuclear brinkmanship, and imaginative underwater journeys alike.

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1
Hell Below poster

Hell Below

19331h 41m3.1
RomanceDramaWar
Director: Jack Conway
Cast: Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Jimmy Durante, Eugene Pallette

A submarine officer falls in love with his commander's married daughter while on leave in Italy, creating dangerous tensions aboard their warship that threaten both military discipline and personal relationships.

2
Crash Dive poster

Crash Dive

19431h 46m3.5
WarRomanceDramaActionAdventureThriller
Director: Archie Mayo
Cast: Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, James Gleason, May Whitty

A US Navy submarine hunts German raiders in the North Atlantic during World War II, while its new executive officer finds romance with a schoolteacher during a brief shore leave.

3
We Dive at Dawn poster

We Dive at Dawn

19431h 38m3.5
WarActionDrama
Director: Anthony Asquith
Cast: John Mills, Eric Portman, Louis Bradfield, Ronald Millar, Jack Watling

A WWII submarine thriller following the crew of the British submarine Sea Tiger as they embark on a dangerous mission to intercept a Nazi battleship in the Baltic Sea. When their vessel is damaged in battle, the crew must find a way to survive and return home against increasingly desperate odds.

4
Destination Tokyo poster

Destination Tokyo

19432h 15m3.9
War
Director: Delmer Daves
Cast: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, John Ridgely, Dane Clark

During World War II, Captain Cassidy and his submarine crew embark on a dangerous secret mission to gather intelligence in Tokyo Bay ahead of a planned bombing raid. As they navigate enemy waters, the crew bonds while facing mortal peril in service of their country.

5
Morning Departure poster

Morning Departure

19501h 42m3.8
Drama
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Cast: John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Nigel Patrick, George Cole, Bernard Lee

A submarine crew becomes trapped on the ocean floor after their vessel sinks, racing against time as their oxygen supply dwindles while rescue efforts unfold above.

6
Operation Pacific poster

Operation Pacific

19511h 51m3.2
WarDramaAction
Director: George Waggner
Cast: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes, Philip Carey

A World War II submarine officer struggles with faulty torpedoes while trying to win back his ex-wife, a navy nurse who is now involved with his commander's brother.

7
Submarine Command poster

Submarine Command

19511h 27m2.9
WarDrama
Director: John Farrow
Cast: William Holden, Nancy Olson, William Bendix, Don Taylor, Arthur Franz

A submarine commander haunted by a wartime decision that cost lives struggles with guilt and a crumbling marriage until the Korean War forces him to return to the same submarine where his troubles began. He must confront his past while undertaking a dangerous rescue mission.

8
Torpedo Alley poster

Torpedo Alley

19531h 24m
WarDrama
Director: Lew Landers
Cast: Mark Stevens, Dorothy Malone, Bill Williams, Charles Winninger, Douglas Kennedy

A Navy carrier pilot crashes at sea and is rescued by a submarine, leading him to pursue submarine duty where he finds himself competing with his commanding officer for the love of a Navy nurse during the Korean War.

9
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

19542h 7m4.1
AdventureScience FictionFamily
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke

A ship investigating mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine Nautilus and its enigmatic captain, Nemo, leading to an extraordinary underwater adventure.

10
Above Us the Waves poster

Above Us the Waves

19551h 39m3.4
War
Director: Ralph Thomas
Cast: John Mills, John Gregson, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice, Michael Medwin

A World War II thriller following a British commando unit's daring mission to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz using experimental midget submarines in the treacherous waters of a Norwegian fjord.

11
The Enemy Below poster

The Enemy Below

19571h 37m4
War
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, David Hedison, Theodore Bikel, Russell Collins

During World War II, the crew of an American destroyer engages in a tense cat-and-mouse battle with a German U-boat captain in a deadly game of naval warfare and psychological warfare.

12
Run Silent, Run Deep poster

Run Silent, Run Deep

19581h 33m4
DramaWar
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, Don Rickles

A WWII submarine captain, driven by revenge against the Japanese destroyer that sunk his previous vessel, puts his new crew at risk with his obsessive pursuit of payback.

13
Torpedo Run poster

Torpedo Run

19581h 38m3.2
WarDrama
Director: Joseph Pevney
Cast: Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster, Dean Jones, L.Q. Jones

A submarine commander pursues a Japanese aircraft carrier through the South Pacific during World War II in this naval warfare drama.

14
Up Periscope poster

Up Periscope

19591h 52m3.5
WarAdventureAction
Director: Gordon Douglas
Cast: James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Carleton Carpenter

A Navy lieutenant discovers his love interest has been secretly evaluating his qualifications as a frogman, then must focus on a dangerous submarine mission to infiltrate a Japanese-held island during World War II.

15
Operation Petticoat poster

Operation Petticoat

19592h 4m4.2
ComedyWarRomance
Director: Blake Edwards
Cast: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans

A World War II submarine commander must navigate the challenges of commanding a damaged submarine while dealing with his scheming executive officer and a group of army nurses aboard his vessel.

16
On the Beach poster

On the Beach

19592h 14m3.7
Science FictionDramaRomance
Director: Stanley Kramer
Cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson

After a nuclear war devastates the northern hemisphere in 1964, survivors in Australia await their inevitable fate as radiation slowly approaches. An American submarine captain struggles with denial about his family's death while forming a connection with a local woman in humanity's final days.

17
The Atomic Submarine poster

The Atomic Submarine

19591h 12m2.7
Science FictionThriller
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet
Cast: Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Tom Conway, Paul Dubov

When ships mysteriously vanish while crossing the Arctic Sea, a specially equipped submarine is dispatched to uncover the truth behind these dangerous disappearances.

18
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea poster

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

19611h 45m2.9
AdventureDramaScience Fiction
Director: Irwin Allen
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Robert Sterling, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine

The crew of an atomic submarine races against time to prevent a global catastrophe that threatens to destroy the world.

19
The Bedford Incident poster

The Bedford Incident

19651h 42m4
ActionDramaThrillerWar
Director: James B. Harris
Cast: Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam, Wally Cox

A reporter aboard the USS Bedford witnesses a tense Cold War standoff when the American destroyer's hardened captain begins a relentless pursuit of a Soviet submarine, pushing his crew to the breaking point.

20
Fantastic Voyage poster

Fantastic Voyage

19661h 40m3.8
Science FictionAdventure
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasence, Arthur O'Connell

A submarine crew is miniaturized to microscopic size and injected into a scientist's bloodstream to perform a life-saving medical mission from within the human body.

21
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming poster

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

19662h 6m3.6
ComedyWar
Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Paul Ford

When a Soviet submarine runs aground off a New England island during the Cold War, the crew must seek help from suspicious locals while pretending to be Norwegian sailors to avoid causing an international incident.

22
Assault on a Queen poster

Assault on a Queen

19661h 46m2.9
AdventureCrimeThriller
Director: Jack Donohue
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Virna Lisi, Anthony Franciosa, Richard Conte, Alf Kjellin

A group of adventurers salvage a WWII German submarine with plans to execute an audacious heist on the high seas, targeting the luxury liner Queen Mary.

23
Ice Station Zebra poster

Ice Station Zebra

19682h 29m3.5
ActionAdventureThriller
Director: John Sturges
Cast: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown, Tony Bill

A nuclear submarine commanded by Rock Hudson races to an isolated Arctic research station that has gone silent after a Soviet spy satellite crashes nearby. The rescue mission becomes increasingly complex as Cold War tensions and hidden agendas emerge among the crew and passengers.

24
Submarine X-1 poster

Submarine X-1

19681h 29m3.2
War
Director: William A. Graham
Cast: James Caan, David Sumner, Norman Bowler, Paul Young, Brian Grellis

A Royal Navy officer seeks redemption after a devastating WWII loss by leading a dangerous mission using midget submarines against German forces.

25
Murphy's War poster

Murphy's War

19711h 47m3.3
DramaWar
Director: Peter Yates
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret, Horst Janson, John Hallam

A lone WWII survivor seeks revenge against the German U-boat that killed his crew, launching a desperate one-man mission from a remote station near the Orinoco River.

26
Gray Lady Down poster

Gray Lady Down

19781h 51m3.5
ThrillerDramaAction
Director: David Greene
Cast: Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Stephen McHattie

When a nuclear submarine collides with a cargo ship and sinks off the Connecticut coast, the Navy races against time to rescue the trapped crew in a dangerous deep-sea operation.

27
Das Boot poster

Das Boot

19812h 30m4.9
DramaHistoryWar
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge

A German U-boat crew faces the claustrophobic horrors of underwater warfare during World War II, as they hunt Allied ships while being hunted themselves in the unforgiving depths of the Atlantic.

28
The Hunt for Red October poster

The Hunt for Red October

19902h 15m4.3
ActionThriller
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones

A Soviet submarine captain appears to be defecting to the United States with his advanced nuclear submarine, while CIA analyst Jack Ryan races to prove his theory before both American and Soviet forces destroy the vessel.

29
Crimson Tide poster

Crimson Tide

19951h 56m4.2
ThrillerActionDramaWar
Director: Tony Scott
Cast: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Matt Craven, George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen

When a Russian republic threatens nuclear war, two U.S. submarine officers clash over whether to launch their missiles, leading to a tense standoff aboard the USS Alabama that could determine the fate of the world.

30
Down Periscope poster

Down Periscope

19961h 32m3.5
Comedy
Director: David S. Ward
Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern

A maverick Navy officer gets one last chance to prove himself when he's assigned to command a decrepit WWII submarine with a crew of misfits in a crucial war game against the Navy's elite forces.

31
U-571 poster

U-571

20001h 56m3.6
WarActionAdventure
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, David Keith

During World War II, Allied forces attempt a daring mission to capture a Nazi submarine's Enigma coding machine, which could help them crack German war codes and turn the tide of the battle under the sea.

32
K-19: The Widowmaker poster

K-19: The Widowmaker

20022h 18m3.7
DramaHistoryThrillerMysteryWar
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, Joss Ackland, John Shrapnel

When Russia's first nuclear submarine malfunctions on its maiden voyage, the crew must race to save the ship and prevent a nuclear disaster.

33
In Enemy Hands poster

In Enemy Hands

20041h 34m3.1
War
Director: Tony Giglio
Cast: William H. Macy, Til Schweiger, Scott Caan, Thomas Kretschmann, Lauren Holly

During WWII, American submarine crew members are captured and held prisoner aboard a German U-boat, where they must navigate complex loyalties when forced to work alongside their captors for survival.

34
Phantom poster

Phantom

20131h 39m3.1
Thriller
Director: Todd Robinson
Cast: Ed Harris, David Duchovny, Lance Henriksen, William Fichtner, Johnathon Schaech

A Soviet submarine captain haunted by his past must lead a mysterious covert mission that could determine the fate of the world, all while being forced to leave his family behind.

35
Black Sea poster

Black Sea

20141h 55m3.4
AdventureDramaThriller
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Cast: Jude Law, Karl Davies, Jodie Whittaker, Daniel Ryan, Scoot McNairy

A rogue submarine captain assembles a misfit crew to search for sunken treasure in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take hold in their claustrophobic vessel, the men begin to turn on each other.

36
Hunter Killer poster

Hunter Killer

20182h 1m4
ActionAdventureThriller
Director: Donovan Marsh
Cast: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Toby Stephens, Common, Linda Cardellini

A U.S. submarine captain discovers a Russian coup and must work with an elite team to prevent the conflict from escalating into full-scale war.

37
Kursk poster

Kursk

20181h 58m3.7
DramaHistoryThrillerAction
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, Peter Simonischek, Max von Sydow, August Diehl

Based on the true story of the 2000 Kursk submarine disaster, this film follows the tragic sinking of a Russian nuclear submarine with 118 crew members aboard and the desperate international rescue efforts that followed.

38
The Wolf's Call poster

The Wolf's Call

20191h 56m4.5
ThrillerActionAdventure
Original Title: Le Chant du loup
Director: Antonin Baudry
Cast: François Civil, Omar Sy, Mathieu Kassovitz, Reda Kateb, Paula Beer

A young submariner with exceptional hearing abilities makes a critical error that endangers his crew. As he tries to redeem himself, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to trigger a nuclear war between world powers.