City Beneath the Sea (1953)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Though competently directed by the currently "in" idol, Budd Boetticher, this is a fairly routine adventure/romance. Robert Ryan seems miscast as a laconic, two-fisted (thanks to a double in his fight scenes) hero, but Anthony Quinn is even less sympathetic as his greedy partner. The girls, Mala Powers and Suzan Ball, seem determined to be picture postcard pretty, but little else. In fact, nearly everyone's clothes in this seedy outpost in the West Indies are always remarkably clean and shiny. However, as usual, it's the villains who come off best in both writing and acting. Indeed it's George Mathews who ascends to the top spot in his Hollywood career as the ex-captain Meade. And Technicolor is also cleverly utilized (by cinematographer Charles P. Boyle) to give "A" stature to a basically "B"-budget picture.

Universal-International studios. Two tough American buddies (Robert Ryan, Anthony Quinn). Sunken treasure off the Caribbean. Plots about scuttled ships and sunken gold. A thuggish sea-captain. Giant squids. A set-piece bar-room brawl. Even voodoo drums. Tacky colour. You can almost picture the lurid cover of the 10-cent paperback novel the film was based on. All that's lacking is a real femme fatale.Bud Boetticher was a cult director in the Don Siegel/Sam Fuller vein, later acclaimed for the series of sparse but superb western quickies he made in the late 1950s with actor Randolph Scott (Ride Lonesome, The Tall T, Westbound, etc).Irresistible and well made.

Genuine chemistry between Ryan and Powers lifts this a notch above fodder. But what happened to Susan Ball, her performance is almost not there. The camaraderie between Ryan and Quinn is the crux of the story, and unfortunately it doesn't work. There is a fun underwater earthquake that topples the "city", but spectacular it ain't. George Matthews makes a very sleazy villain.

This movie is pretty run of the mill under water sea adventure stuff , very typical of the era .The best scene however is in the tropical bar.Who ever chose or built the set did a great job.The bamboo theme, national geographic erotica style is unfortunately a thing of the past.Why the hell can't we have really cool bars like this to go to .At least a half decent joint where you can throw on a pair of old service chinos and a cool hawaiian shirt, drink rum colas and check out the dames!If anybody knows places like this let me know!