10 Best Submarine Movies You Probably Haven't Seen

1. Black Sea (2014)

Jude Law Black Sea
Universal International Pictures

A disaster thriller from Kevin Macdonald, Black Sea struggled to set the box office alight despite the strength of its cast. Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn and Jodie Whittaker are just some of the actors lending their services to this high-stakes underwater adventure. Despite this, Black Sea made just $1.6 million at the global box office - whole fathoms below what it deserved.

What starts as a submarine captain reluctantly working with a shady dealer to recover some underwater gold erupts into a story featuring murder, betrayal and the endless void of the ocean (it is called Black Sea, after all). Macdonald touches on a whole variety of films which provided obvious inspiration, most tellingly The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and managed to come up with one of the most muscular, exciting deep sea adventures in years. But its limited release meant this film sunk before it could swim. Which is a shame considering the acclaim that came its way when it did arrive in UK cinemas.

Macdonald is best known for The Last King of Scotland (2006) starring Forest Whittaker. It is the most acclaimed film of Macdonald's career, and Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance.

Contributor
Contributor

I write regularly about all things pop culture, and am an individually approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. I am the Film News Editor for FILMHOUNDS Magazine and a Senior Writer for Starburst Magazine UK. My other credits include bylines in The Guardian, The Quietus and The Indiependent.