Hell and High Water (1954)

29% of users liked it
(99 ratings)

Hell and High Water brings an intriguing Cold War slant to a standard submarine melodrama. Richard Widmark plays a soldier-of-fortune sub commander who agrees to sell his services to noted atomic scientist Victor Francen and his assistant (and daughter) Bella Darvi. Francen intends to prove that the… More Hell and High Water brings an intriguing Cold War slant to a standard submarine melodrama. Richard Widmark plays a soldier-of-fortune sub commander who agrees to sell his services to noted atomic scientist Victor Francen and his assistant (and daughter) Bella Darvi. Francen intends to prove that the Communists intend to launch a nuclear attack on Korea from an Arctic island, then blame the attack on the United States. Widmark frankly doesn't give a fig about politics, but he is won over by the sincerity of Francen and his idealistic cohorts, and by the beauty of Ms. Darvi. Before the Reds' evil intentions can be thwarted, however, Widmark must face down a Communist Chinese submarine loaded with highly volatile atomic weaponry. The special effects are very impressive, especially for a mid-1950s 20th Century-Fox production. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Samuel Fuller
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 6, 1954 Wide
On DVD: May 22, 2007

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Up periscope for Fuller's solid Cold War yarn.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Hell and High Water more than holds its own with such other all-business '50s naval flicks as The Enemy Below and Run Silent Run Deep.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This is a tepid film by Sam Fuller standards, but still has enough salt in it to burn.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Richard Widmark leads a civilian expedition, on a salvaged Japanese submarine, to search for a mysterious uninhabited island and a secret stash of atomic weapons. Weak cold war adventure pic that's technically inept and often ridiculous.