DVD REVIEW - USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (3 out of 5)

No doubt there are plenty of amazing second world war stories still to be given over to a movie.
USS Indianapolis: Men of CourageUSS Indianapolis: Men of Courage
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

The fate of the USS Indianapolis has been crossed off the list with this film, though.

It’s a tale of heroism, devastating loss, treachery and desperation.

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After seeing plenty of action in the war, the Indianapolis was used to ferry parts of the atomic bomb over to where it would eventually be flown and dropped on Hiroshima.

However, job done, it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sunk within 12 minutes, claiming 300 lives.

Because they were on a secret mission no one realised there was a problem for a few days.

In the meantime hundreds of surviving sailors eventually lost their life in the shark-infested waters or died of wounds or from drinking salt water.

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It was the worst naval disaster in American naval history and the families of those who died, the press and many others wanted someone to blame.

Despite doing very little wrong, the blame was placed firmly on the captain, Charles McVay’s shoulders.

Nicolas Cage plays the captain and provides one of his better performances.

The movie focuses strongly on the time the sailors were in the sea but also picks out a handful of individuals, giving them their own sub-plots.

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The special effects aren’t very impressive on occasion but it’s the interaction between the characters that is the glue that binds the story together.

Lionsgate UK presents USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage on Digital Download 19th December and Blu-ray & DVD from 9th January, 2017

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