List Rules Add, rank, and rate sub movies from any era!
This is a list about the best submarine movies. Who doesn't love a good submarine film? Be honest. You know that whenever you see a trailer for a new submarine movie or hear about a great submarine movie you've never seen before that you get super excited and you feel like your head is about to implode... from the pressure. That's a submarine joke. Water. ...Depth.
From some of the top submarine movies like The Hunt For Red October, and Crimson Tide, to all-time great submarine movies like Das Boot, this list has everything you'll need to satisfy your insatiable need for input on the most famous submarine movies.
The amount of times the word "submarine" appears in this list description is not an accident. Submarines are awesome (they go underwater, and there are people in them, and they are basically magic, and they shoot rockets and win wars!) and they deserve to be talked about more.
Thankfully, Hollywood agrees. Please enjoy this list of the best submarine movies of all time.
Vote for your favorite submarine films now!
list ordered by
1
2,175 262
Das BootWolfgang Petersen Das Boot is a 1981 German epic war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus ...more
2
1,973 321
The Hunt for Red OctoberJohn McTiernan The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 American action thriller film based on Tom Clancy's novel of the same name. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius ...more
3
1,145 209
Run Silent, Run DeepRobert Wise Run Silent, Run Deep is a 1958 film starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, based on the novel of the same name by Commander Edward L. Beach, Jr.. The title refers to "silent ...more
4
914 166
The Enemy BelowDick Powell Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial The Enemy Below is a 1957 war film which tells the story of the battle between the captain of an American destroyer escort and the commander of a German U-boat during World War II. The movie ...more
5
1,265 488
Crimson TideTony Scott Crimson Tide is a 1995 American submarine action film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It takes place during a period of political turmoil in the Russian ...more
6
1,004 463
U-571Jonathan Mostow U-571 is a 2000 war film directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Kretschmann, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Noseworthy, Will Estes and Tom Guiry. ...more
7
915 241
K-19 the Widow MakerKathryn Bigelow K-19: The Widowmaker is a 2002 submarine thriller film about the first of many disasters that befell the Soviet submarine K-19. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and stars Harrison Ford ...more
8
879 253
Down PeriscopeDavid S. Ward Down Periscope is a 1996 20th Century Fox comedy film produced by Robert Lawrence and directed by David S. Ward, starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly and Rob Schneider and co-starring Bruce ...more
9
488 234
Ice Station ZebraJohn Sturges Ice Station Zebra is a 1968 cold-war era suspense and espionage film directed by John Sturges, starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay by Alistair ...more
10
566 214
Operation PetticoatBlake Edwards Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's ...more
11
461 206
20,000 Leagues Under the SeaRichard Fleischer 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American Technicolor adventure film starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre. It was the first CinemaScope science fiction film and ...more
12
442 271
The AbyssJames Cameron The Abyss is a 1989 American science fiction-adventure film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine ...more
Destination TokyoDelmer Daves Destination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine war film. It was directed by Delmer Daves and written by Daves, former submariner Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz, and stars Cary Grant and John Garfield with ...more
14
429 174
Up PeriscopeGordon Douglas Up Periscope is a 1959 World War II drama starring James Garner as a U.S. Navy Frogman fighting the Japanese. The supporting cast includes Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, and Alan Hale, Jr.. The ...more
15
339 101
Torpedo RunJoseph Pevney Torpedo Run is a 1958 American war film directed by Joseph Pevney. It was filmed in Metrocolor CinemaScope, and it stars Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is ...more
16
319 87
Operation PacificGeorge Waggner Operation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and Patricia Neal, featuring Ward Bond and Philip Carey and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this ...more
17
207 62
Greg Whitcoe added Gray Lady DownDavid Greene Gray Lady Down is a 1978 disaster film by Universal Studios starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, and is the feature film debut of Christopher Reeve. It ...more
On the BeachStanley Kramer On the Beach is a 1957 post-apocalyptic novel written by British-Australian author Nevil Shute after he emigrated to Australia. The novel details the experiences of a mixed group of people in ...more
19
174 244
The Spy Who Loved MeLewis Gilbert The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the ...more
20
196 144
The HunleyJohn Gray The Hunley is a 1999 television movie directed by John Gray and starring Armand Assante, Donald Sutherland, Alex Jennings, Michael Dolan and Christopher Bauer. The film is based on the true ...more
21
102 32
Pete Chilcott added We Dive at DawnAnthony Asquith We Dive at Dawn is a 1943 war film directed by Anthony Asquith, starring John Mills and Eric Portman as Royal Navy submariners in the Second World War. It was written by Val Valentine and J. B. ...more
22
193 322
The League of Extraordinary GentlemenStephen Norrington The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, also promoted as LXG, is a 2003 superhero film loosely based on the first volume of the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan ...more
Hell and High WaterSamuel Fuller Hell and High Water is a 1954 Cold War drama film starring Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi and Victor Francen. The film was made to showcase CinemaScope being used in the confined sets of a ...more
24
81 27
William C Sallai added The Bedford IncidentJames B. Harris The Bedford Incident is a 1965 Anglo-American Cold War film starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier, and co-produced by Richard Widmark. The cast also features Eric Portman, James MacArthur, ...more
25
241 202
Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaIrwin Allen Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles ...more
26
124 252
The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouWes Anderson The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. ...more
27
56 40
Pete Chilcott added Above Us the WavesRalph Thomas Above Us the Waves is a 1955 British war film directed by Ralph Thomas, about human torpedo and midget submarine attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz. It is based on two true-life attacks on ...more
BelowDavid Twohy Below is a 2002 World War II horror film directed by David Twohy. It was written by Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky and David Twohy, and stars Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Matthew Davis, ...more
29
110 286
Yellow SubmarineGeorge Dunning Yellow Submarine is a 1968 British animated musical fantasy comedy film inspired by the music of the Beatles. The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United ...more
30
68 213
The Land That Time ForgotKevin Connor The Land That Time Forgot is a 1975 fantasy/adventure film based upon the 1924 novel The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The screenplay was written by Michael Moorcock. The film ...more
31
123 191
PhantomTodd Robinson Phantom is a 2012 adventure thriller film written and directed by Todd Robinson.
32
93 147
Hostile WatersDavid Drury Hostile Waters is a British 1997 television film about the loss of the Soviet Navy's K-219, a Yankee I class nuclear ballistic missile sub. The film stars Rutger Hauer as the commander of K-219 ...more
33
34 37
HåkanNorberg added Black SeaKevin Macdonald Black Sea is a 2014 British adventure thriller film directed by Kevin Macdonald, written by Dennis Kelly, and starring Jude Law. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2014 ...more
34
19 27
HåkanNorberg added In Enemy HandsTony Giglio In Enemy Hands aka "U-Boat", is a World War II submarine film released in 2004, starring William H. Macy, Til Schweiger, Scott Caan and Lauren Holly.
35
34 121
SubmergedAnthony Hickox Submerged is a 2005 American action film written and directed by Anthony Hickox, and starring Steven Seagal, William Hope, Vinnie Jones and Christine Adams. The film was released on ...more
36
18 131
Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific OceanShinji Higuchi Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Shinji Higuchi. A fictional story of the Japanese military saving Tokyo from the third atomic bomb during the waning ...more
