This murky disaster film concerns the fate of a nuclear submarine which is carelessly struck by a freighter and sinks 1400 feet beneath the surface. Heston plays the stalwart captain who is just about to give up seafaring when this last voyage turns deadly. Cox is his somewhat adversarial second-in-command. Keach is a stubborn captain heading the rescue effort on topside. Carradine, along with assistant Beatty, is the creator of an experimental mini-sub which may be able to aid in the rescue effort. The initial collision is so poorly handled that it threatens to spoil the film (pitiful rear projection and unclear evacuation of the bridge), but thankfully the interior scenes come off more effectively. A terrific rotating set adds to the verisimilitude. Underwater sequences range from good to horrible. Sometimes the use of miniatures is startlingly obvious. As far as acting goes, Heston is solid and has several great solitary moments along with authoritative ones. (One memorable line: "I feel like a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest!") Carradine and Keach establish a nice antagonism (though Keach is occasionally a little intense, becoming unintentionally funny.) Beatty is an appealing and endearing presence. Eighth-billed Forsyth's role was cut down to almost nothing. She says five words (!) in her one scene. Many of the supporting cast come off like either hunky mannequins, bad ham actors or stuntmen giving acting a try (though there are several familiar faces sprinkled throughout, notably Reeves as Keach's shadow.) The film is at it's best when tension mounts in the sub and among the officers on the surface. This is dissipated ridiculously when sailors who may be experiencing their last hours alive play backgammon and watch the movie "Jaws" on their projector (!) acting as if nothing's wrong! The tedium kicks in when the rescue attempt is shown in a bit too much detail (long tracking shots of the rescue vehicles) and repeated tries are shown over and over! Like "Airport '77", the dry naval scenes dull the human element. Jerry Fielding's music is appropriately dirge-like at times and eerie other times (though certain elements were interpolated into his awful score for "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure".) Probably the best moment occurs when the trapped men have to open an air tank. The film should hold interest for a first time viewer as long as one is prepared for a somewhat technical approach to the drama. (And was there ever another film so preoccupied with the state of the injured when the whole sub could implode or slide off a cliff at any moment?)
Review of Gray Lady Down
