Second World War drama starring Trevor Howard and Richard Attenborough. When naval captain Hugh Fraser is given command of an unreliable destroyer, his ruthless manner and apparent incompetence provoke hostility among his crew as they prepare for battle.
Packed with stock situations, this unremarkable naval drama starts in 1940 on the broken-down tub presented to gung-ho captain Trevor Howard as part of a 50-destroyer loan made to Britain by neutral America. The inevitable hostility that flares between Howard and his men, the Admiralty inquiry into negligence and the ramming raid on a Nazi dockyard in France are all staged with efficiency by director Compton Bennett. But the action lacks urgency, Howard looks thoroughly bored by the proceedings and crew members Richard Attenborough, Hugh Williams and Bernard Lee, plus flashy American Sonny Tufts, have nothing new to show us.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Commander Hugh Fraser | Trevor Howard |
| Dripper Daniels | Richard Attenborough |
| Yank Flanagan | Sonny Tufts |
| Lieutenant Richard Jennings | James Donald |
| June Mallory | Joan Rice |
| Stripey Wood | Bernard Lee |
| Glad | Dora Bryan |
| Captain | Hugh Williams |
| Lieutenant Michael Grant | Robin Bailey |
| Jones | Meredith Edwards |
| Appleby | John Forrest |
| Petty Officer Martin | Patric Doonan |
| Ned Hardy | Sidney James |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Compton Bennett |
