Lifeboat

1944 • 96 minutes
4.8
36 reviews
90%
Tomatometer
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

About this movie

When a ship of Americans and Britons is sunk by a missile from a German U-boat during WWII, the survivors must cope with the elements - and each other. The motley crew includes a wealthy, snobbish photo-journalist, a seaman who is a communist, a nurse, a mild-mannered radio operator, a seriously wounded Brooklynite, an insufferable businessman, a black steward and a mother driven half-mad by the death of her baby, whose body she is still carrying when she is pulled onto the lifeboat. Unfortunately, they know nothing about navigation, or survival at sea, and quickly begin to turn on each other.  And when they pull the Nazi U-boat Captain out of the sea they have no choice but to trust his superior survival skills, even though the course he is steering is back to his boat, and he is taking them as prisoners of war.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
36 reviews
Robert Cantu
December 20, 2013
Great dialogue for it's time and still holds up to par for today. A film that answers and shows you all those questions, what would you do if I was in that situation.
Did you find this helpful?
Frederick Combs
August 18, 2017
This film, so expertly filmed, completely in a lifeboat, the whole time, centers around the enemy, here in the form of a single person, during war time after a Lucitania-like sinking. What starts out as dealing with the enemy as an equal, soon reveals a fatal flaw in the act of good faith in your fellow man (the enemy) during a war. Hitchcock takes full advantage of what a human will do when faced with the enemy and the enemy takes full advantage. This story holds very true with what we are dealing with today, in terms of national security and terrorism around the world. Enemies count on their victim's good faith, which can prove deadly.
Did you find this helpful?
Edward Karas
June 30, 2018
Intriguing movie, filmed in one setting, shows the techniques done by Hitchcock, also includes a very creative cameo of him in a newspaper ad.
Did you find this helpful?

Rate this movie

Tell us what you think.