There
are certain qualities found whenever a movie is set on the ocean.
Adventure and thriller films thrive on the open sea, where unpredictable waters and enemy attacks create both action and suspense. Torpedo: U235 takes the danger under the water, as a crew of freshly trained submarine operators are trusted with a top-secret mission: transport uranium from South Africa to New York in a stolen German U-Boat. Co-written and directed by Sven Huybrechts, this film’s journey through the oceans of WWII is an extremely intense experience to watch.
Adventure and thriller films thrive on the open sea, where unpredictable waters and enemy attacks create both action and suspense. Torpedo: U235 takes the danger under the water, as a crew of freshly trained submarine operators are trusted with a top-secret mission: transport uranium from South Africa to New York in a stolen German U-Boat. Co-written and directed by Sven Huybrechts, this film’s journey through the oceans of WWII is an extremely intense experience to watch.
The
film begins with a tone reminiscent of Inglorious
Bastards
(2009) and Indiana
Jones
(1981). A group of freedom fighters are killing Nazi’s throughout
France, setting complex ambushes and luring them to their deaths. Led
by the ruthless Stan (Koen De Bouw) and his daughter Nadine
(Ella-June Henrard), the resistance fighters are recruited for a
top-secret mission. They travel to South Africa where they learn to
pilot a stolen German U-boat, in the hopes of slipping past enemy
detection. Despite fighting together throughout France, the crew has
a hard time coming together with some new members, as well as
existing tensions causing issues. Stan’s fatherly desire to protect
Nadine clashes with her desire to be useful to the resistance. There
were a few troubling moments of racial based tension between a crew
member and a South African local who joins them. The Nazi killing
freedom fighters also don’t trust Franz Jäger (Thure Riefenstein),
a German U-boat captain who was captured by the Allies, and is
teaching the gang to pilot the submarine.
The
motley crew becomes a well-oiled machine as they prepare for the most
dangerous mission they have ever faced. Before the crew is even under
the ocean, the tension starts building and the lighter-toned
adventure gives way to a darker war film. This film throws the viewer
from one intense experience to another, only rarely allowing the
viewer to come up for air. The brutality of war comes through very
early, as planes circle the submarine from above, and mines and enemy
U-boats lurk in the waters just outside their hull.
The
brutality of the film is striking at times. It does not shy away from
showing the cruelty that the crew experiences under the water, as
well as the cruelties they suffered under the Nazis that led them to
become rebellion fighters. The brutality of war is never forgotten.
They are gliding along in a metal tube full of air that could explode
at any time killing all on board. If one thing goes wrong, they will
end up on the bottom of the ocean. Almost reaching horror levels the
violence was difficult to watch at times, adding another element of
intensity to an already intense film. And the consistently fast pace
kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
One
of the ways the film creates intrigue is by setting up something
innocuous, then bringing it back for a big payoff later. Fränz Jager
will tell a sailor to cut a wire on the submarine, only to make the
audience wait just long enough to swing it back around to save the
day. The high concept mechanical plot elements give the film an
almost science fiction feel. This story could just as easily have
taken place in space without too many alterations to the original
concept. The rebels are constantly tinkering with the weapons and
making plans as they are executing them, giving the film a feel more
like a high-concept science fiction story.
The
film navigates through lighter moments as well. A romance between
Nadine and Filip (Joren Seldeslachts), a member of the freedom
fighting squad, is woven through the plot. Through the slower moments
where we watch their relationship develop, we are brought closer to
crew of U-boat 235. The characters are well rounded, making all the
suspense that much more nerve racking.
This
film pulls together several formats to create a very successful
thriller. The adventure the characters go on is both interesting as a
form of alternative history, and very good war film. The character’s
struggles are felt throughout, as war throws them into a hellish
metal coffin, hundreds of meters below the sea.
-Patrick Bernas
Torpedo: U-235 is now available on all major streaming platforms including Comcast, Vimeo, Itunes, Google Play, Xbox, and more.