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The FrogmenIn Hollywood, there are hard men and then there's Richard Widmark. Described by filmmaker Don Siegel as "the sort of man who could make you shit just by looking at you", Widmark might not have been lauded in the same fashion as Cagney, Bogart and Eastwood, but the star of Madigan, Night And The City and Kiss Of Death was every bit as tough as all of them.
He's certainly pretty daunting as Lieutenant Commander John Lawrence. Indeed, Widmark makes co-star Dana Andrews - himself no stranger to playing indomitable heroes - look a bit of a sissy. As a new UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams) leader who must win the respect of his crewman, Widmark isn't afraid to show his sensitive side. However, when there is man's work to do - such as disarming an unexploded torpedo that's slammed into the side of his vessel - there's no prizes for guessing who's the first to get his hands dirty.
Directed with flair by journeyman Lloyd Bacon, The Frogmen might have an uninspiring name, but its special effects are remarkable for the time, enabling the film to capture the horror and excitement of men at war like few other movies of its era. With Norbert Brodine's crisp black-and-white cinematography and William Reynolds' sharp editing lending a classy sheen to the production, the reason The Frogmen succeeds is because of the courage of the real UDT servicemen, whose reliance on primitive technology meant they had much in common with NASA's Mercury astronauts.
With Widmark at the helm, it's all the supporting cast can do to grab brief moments of glory. However, Jeffrey Hunter does well in one of his first screen appearances. And anyone who's only familiar with Robert Wagner from the Austin Powers movies will have difficulty reconciling his jowly Number 2 with the fresh-faced, good-looking chap playing Lieutenant Franklin.
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