Mission of the Shark

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48%

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User Ratings: 160

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Movie Info

When a top secret naval mission leads to the torpedoing of the U.S.S. Indianapolis at the end of WWII, it began one of the most scandalous court-martials in the history of the military. For five days the surviving crew members were left in the shark-infested waters, with only half of them surviving to be rescued. Their well-respected Captain accepted the responsibility to keep the scandal to a minimum but his court-martial only served to show that justice is not always found in military proceedings but rather mere expediency.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Action & Adventure, Drama, Television
Directed By:

Robert Iscove
Written By:

Alan Sharp
In Theaters:

Sep 29, 1991 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 31, 2007
Runtime:

92 minutes
Studio:

Fries Entertainment

Watch it now

Netflix

Cast

Andrew Prine

Stacy Keach
as Capt. McVay

Richard Thomas
as Scott

Stacy Keach Sr.
as Capt. McVay

Don Harvey
as Kinderman

Robert Ciccini
as D'Angelo

Neil Giuntoli
as Goldstein

Robert Cicchini
as D'Angelo

David Caruso
as Wilkes

Steve Landesberg
as Capt. Lipscombe

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
as Hashimoto

Bob Gunton
as Chaplain

Tim Guinee

Carrie Snodgress
as Louise McVay

Gordon Clapp

Eddie Frias

William Jordan
as Hathaway

John Hillner
as Olinsky

Vaughn Armstrong
as Robinson

Scott Kraft
as Price

Dale Dye

Jerry Tondo
as Aioki

Marc Macaulay
as Shorty

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Critic Reviews for Mission of the Shark

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Audience Reviews for Mission of the Shark

Oct 18, 2009

<div style="width:280px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/mission-of-the-shark-12307054"><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/30/70/12307054_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Mission of the Shark</a></div></div> <I>Mission of the Shark</I> (1991) (TV) Directed by Robert Iscove With Stacy Keach, Richard Thomas and David Caruso. Reason #1197 not to get mixed up with the military. This rather sterilized made for TV movie is the story of the final days of the U.S.S. Indianapolis which delivered the atomic bomb dropped on Japan. It was torpedoed and sunk on its return voyage. The survivors of the sinking spent 5 days slowly dying of thirst, injuries, and being terrorized and devoured by sharks. This was due to criminally negligent incompetence and stupidity on the part of Naval administration. Of course they covered their worthless asses just as rear echelon bastards always do. This was accomplished by witch hunting and scapegoating the ship's captain, Charles McVay (Keach), in a typical kangaroo Court Martial. 316 men out of a crew of 1196 survived the ordeal, 300 having gone down with the ship. The story was treated by the press as a footnote to the end of WWII. This film only hints at the ordeal of the victims, the irresponsibility of and criminal cover-up by the Navy, and the impact the Navy's lies had on the remainder of McVay's life. TV's low budget and misguided broadcasting standards did not allow for upsetting subject matter to be graphically portrayed. Accordingly, <I>Mission of the Shark</I> did not go into much detail about the sharks and the crew's living nightmare dealing with the horror of being ripped apart and eaten alive one by one. This aspect of the disaster would be grist for a very grim remake of the movie. It is one of the most dramatic shark attacks that has made it to recorded history. Note to all you new-age shark lovers: read some interviews of the Indianapolis survivors the next time you want to pet and feel sorry for sharks. Go see <I>Jaws</I> and watch Robert Shaw's portrayal of Captain Quint recounting his experience in the water after the sinking of the Indianapolis in a chilling monologue. Idiots. For a proper dramatization of the Court Martial in detail, read or see John B. Ferzacca's play, <I>The Failure to Zigzag</I>. For more information setting the record straight, go to http://www.ussindianapolis.org/. <div style="width:280px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/ussindianaplolis-12307050"><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/30/70/12307050_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">U.S.S. Indianapolis</a> </div></div>

Pamela D Super Reviewer