On G List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)

---

Gray Lady Down (1978)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 8/25

8/25: In his book Still Me, Christopher Reeve, as well as others, called Gray Lady Down a "disaster about a disaster."

I disagree and find it to be a well-made picture. There have been plenty of submarine movies but none for the disaster genre hitherto. What's impressive is it's a very straightforward story about a major rescue job with obstacles, making the whole thing realistic. I bet the U.S. Navy used the film for training. There are plenty of heroism shown.

Excellent as always, Charlton Heston is the true leader of a strong ensemble cast that includes Stacy Keach, David Carradine, Dorian Harewood, and two guys from Deliverance: Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox. It's Christopher Reeve's and Michael O'Keefe's screen debuts before making their mark in Superman and The Great Santini, respectively.

So, whose fault is it? It's the Norwegian freighter's, and that wasn't an accident but negligence. All the person in charge had to do was cut off the engine and wait until the fog cleared or fix the radar. Ronny Cox' character went too far in the blame game. As for the submarine being alongside the canyon ledge on the ocean floor, I wonder if the tremors were cyclic. That way, everybody could predict when the next one would come just to be safe during the ongoing rescue operation.

All in all, Gray Lady Down shouldn't be overlooked, thanks to the strong story, acting, special effects, and so on.

---