Destination Tokyo (1943)

Directed by Delmer Daves. Starring Cary Grant, John Garfield, Dane Clark, Alan Hale, John Ridgely, Robert Hutton, Warner Anderson, William Prince, Tom Tully.

Sturdy account of a secret WWII mission undertaken by the crew of an American submarine sailing for…well, it’s right there in the title. Precursor to a slew of submarine thrillers to come sports a few leaks in the production—the effects are dated and the underwater models look like they were photographed in a recently-cleaned aquarium—but provides enough nail-biting action and engaging drama to satisfy most viewers. Even though he’s not employed to capitalize on his strengths, Grant makes for a dependable and encouraging captain; Clark rises to the challenge of tackling the most complex characterization among the seamen. Some of the crew interactions, however, are corny and get propped up too much by ill-timed comic relief (largely from Hale’s big doofus “Cookie” schtick and Garfield’s smarmy girl-chaser “charm”). Hammered together for morale-boosting wartime effect, but rarely does the picture take on the tacky qualities of pure propaganda piece (sadly, the racism is almost certainly representative of reality). Look for John Forsythe in one of his earliest roles.

75/100