The film details the exploits of the US Navy's elite Underwater Demolitions Team, aka the Frogmen. New team leader Lt. Comdr. John Lawrence (Richard Widmark) is a no-nonsense professional who has trouble being accepted by the UDT veterans who recently lost their previous, beloved leader. Flannigan (Dana Andrews) in particular dislikes the new commander's coldly efficient style, but they'll all have to work together to survive their dangerous duty of readying remote island beaches for Allied landings.
The action scenes are the highlight in this otherwise routine war tale of men under pressure. It's very interesting to see the techniques used by these precursors of the modern Navy SEALs. Now they are among the most highly-equipped soldiers in the world, but back in the WW2 days, they went into their very specific form of combat wearing only swim trunks, flippers, and a face mask. Their chief responsibility was to surveil enemy waters for mines and other hazards, and then to blow them up if possible. It all seems extremely difficult and dangerous, and it makes for compelling cinema. The movie earned Oscar nominations for Best Original Story (Oscar Millard) and Best B&W Cinematography (Norbert Brodine).
The action scenes are the highlight in this otherwise routine war tale of men under pressure. It's very interesting to see the techniques used by these precursors of the modern Navy SEALs. Now they are among the most highly-equipped soldiers in the world, but back in the WW2 days, they went into their very specific form of combat wearing only swim trunks, flippers, and a face mask. Their chief responsibility was to surveil enemy waters for mines and other hazards, and then to blow them up if possible. It all seems extremely difficult and dangerous, and it makes for compelling cinema. The movie earned Oscar nominations for Best Original Story (Oscar Millard) and Best B&W Cinematography (Norbert Brodine).