Near the end of WWII, in a desperate move, German Forces sent U-Boats towards the US in an attempt to capture the US Homeland. As the end of the war looms, the story of one of these U-Boats and of some of the US Forces is explored here.
Written and directed by Steven Luke, this war film is one that focusses more on the characters than being an action film and while the characters each have something going on, the story is based in reality, and there are high stakes, the film ends up being a bit on the boring side. Fans of war recreations should be satisfied here, but fans for suspenseful cinema or action cinema will be let down. The film has a cast that would make anyone expect more action scenes, but no. However, the parts here are interesting in that they are supposed to be historically accurate (something that can’t be judged at the moment for lack of knowledge about these men), giving the leads something to work with. However, because the story is not hitting the spots it should, the characters end up not mattering as much as they should.
The cast here has Hiram A. Murray, Dolph Lundgren, and Frank Grillo top-billed. These gents know their way around these types of parts, but aren’t given enough to do to keep the attention. While they, and the rest of the cast, definitely can act and can bring these parts to life, something feels like it’s missing from all their performance, something that is probably caused by either the writing or the directing. All of them together have so much potential and it feels squandered. Lundgren is showing a new side here, showing more vulnerability as we have seen peeking out in the last few years, he’s working within what would be expected in terms of parts and range at this point in his career. This is not the buff Lundgren most are used to, this the acting, emotion-filled Lundgren the public is slowly getting used to. Here, he gives a strong performance even though the film itself falls a bit flat. Frank Grillo comes off as being a bit held back, giving a more subdued performance, and not getting a full chance to shine here. Hiram A. Murray does well here, but also comes off held back by something. Overall, good performances, but something is off.
In terms of the visual aspects of things, the film is well shot with cinematography by Joseph Loeffler and well edited by Katerina Valenti. The overall look is decent, but not overly expensive. There is good attention to detail in the wardrobe and décor departments that show on camera, really setting the tone for some of the scenes. It’s a well-crafter movie on those fronts.
Operation Seawolf was not what was expected based on poster and cast alone, of course the trailer gives a better idea what one is about to get into. It’s more of a war drama than anything else and war film aficionados should be happy with this one, however the general viewing public may get a little bored.