USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage – Blu-Ray Movie Review

Based on the true accounts of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis at the very end of the WWII in the Pacific theater and the subsequent fallout of the botched rescue attempt that cost the lives of hundreds of sailors in shark infested waters, this is a remarkable tale of survival and bravery that pays homage to those that gave all.

This is a movie that is trying to give honor to the men that survived one of the most horrific maritime disasters of WWII, but it is clumsily told with wooden acting, cartoonish CGI and a script that leaves out too much factual details. The USS Indy was sent on a secret mission to deliver the atomic bomb to the island airbase that would launch the bombing raid that would end the war in the Pacific. Being secret, they had to travel quickly and without escort. It was on the return trip home that they were sunk by a Japanese U-boat. Due to a miscommunication, the men had to float in shark infested waters for over 4 days before help arrived.

The story is compelling, but the acting and special effects really distracted from the story. The CGI was worse than anything I have seen on the SciFi channel. The ship used to re-create the Indy was a museum piece, complete with brass plugs in the main guns. The aircraft looked like hand painted cells, and even the debris in the water was bad CGI. Cage refused to have his hair cut in the Navy style, so he kept it tuck behind his hat. One sailor sported a chewed off leg that looked like it had gone through a pencil sharpener. Who has a pointy stump like that after a shark attack? Perhaps it is no one persons fault and all of this criticism is due to budget constraints. This movie was available originally as a paid for streaming flick and is only now being released on BD. I’m all for honoring the brave men who sacrificed so much, but this movie is a sinker.

I already mentioned to abysmal CGI effects and the fact that most of the deck shots on the Indy looked as if they were filmed in dry dock. Overall, the picture looked sharps and the colors rendered with accuracy. The night scenes remained lit well enough that details were not lost. Sound was well recorded and the surround effects were engaging. I liked the martial musical score which added to the drama, but ultimately you are left with little to remember an hour after the movie ends.

Apparently the sharks got a hold of these; only a “making of” featurette.