Review of Destination Tokyo

When people praise this film for being realistic, they must be thinking of how it portrays the look of the insides of a submarine, the living conditions, the military procedures, and so on. They can't be talking about the characters or dialogue. Movies made during the war have to keep the spirits of the viewers up, so the effects on the scripts are deadly. The worst part of these movies is always the interplay between the characters, so good- humoured and cheery in every situation. The "boys" (and they do act like boys) are always light-hearted and playful with each other, like puppies in a box. Even their lusts seem childlike and innocent, consisting of a few jokes about a pin-up girl. Occasionally a character will be portrayed a little differently, fearful or bitter, but we know it will work out well, and it's really only for effect, a little spice added to the dish, and a hint that "Gee, you see how realistic this movie is (wink, wink)?" The commanders don't really worry much about death -- under fire, with the possibility of death facing them at any second, their faces register the kind of concern they'd have over a flat tire or while waiting for a daughter staying out late after her prom. It's what passes for bravery in these movies.

Now in the case of "Destination Tokyo" can we really talk about realism when the submarine is usually an obvious model, when the captain sends the sub down to 150 feet and we can see the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water a couple of feet over the model?

Enjoy the movie for what it is, but let's get rid of the pretence that these are realistic to any significant degree. Just compare them for a second with "Das Boat" and what they leave out will become apparent.