5 Best Submarine Movies Ever Made, Ranked

Submarine movies are a subcategory of films that encompasses a surprising amount of genres. From political thrillers to war movies to even horror like Markiplier's 2026 hit video game adaptation "Iron Lung," there's no telling where a good submarine film might turn up. While this particular type of movie isn't exactly commonplace, submersibles have enticed enough filmmakers over the years to create a fairly robust back catalog of underwater vehicle movies for a fan who might be inclined to sink into the genre.

Of course, this particular movie type isn't exempt from the trappings of quality dips, and there are many subpar submersible-themed films out there. Because of this, a submarine movie fan will want to make sure that they'll only queue up the cream of the crop in order to avoid disappointments. To help you on this quest, Looper has taken a deep dive into the world of submarine films and emerged with five of the absolute best ones that you should watch.

The 1957 classic "The Enemy Below" is based on D.A. Rayner's book of the same name, and it's technically as much an anti-submarine movie as it is a submarine one. The film tells the story of USS Haynes, which is targeted by a German sub during World War II. Both vessels are commanded by capable men; the destroyer escort Haynes has Robert Mitchum's Captain Murrell and his deep grudge against U-Boats, while the submarine has the capable Von Stolberg (Curd Jürgens) and his anti-Nazi sentiments. 

"The Enemy Below" follows both ships as they battle on the South Atlantic, with both captains soon proving extremely crafty. The Haynes has its depth charges, while the U-Boat has its torpedoes. Both are commanded by extremely clever and honorable men who are intent on winning. Who comes out at the top in this game of naval chess?

With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 86%, "The Enemy Below" is an acclaimed game of cat and mouse that grips the viewer from the get-go and never really stops delivering thrills. The film won a deserved Academy Award for its special effects, which still have their charms today. Oh, and speaking of contemporary times, "The Enemy Below" isn't about glory, but about grim survival and duty. This lack of overt glorifying of war only adds to the movie's allure from a contemporary point of view.

With a cast that includes Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Stellan Skarsgård, and the late, great character actor Sam Neill, "The Hunt for Red October" has plenty of acting power at its disposal. With an Academy Award win for sound effects editing — an art that plays an important role in a submarine setting — its atmosphere is on point, too.

Directed by John "Die Hard" McTiernan, "The Hunt for Red October" is a story about Captain Marko Ramius (Connery), a brave dissident who gains command of an advanced Soviet submarine and plans to defect to the U.S. However, he's still a Soviet submarine captain who's commanding a truly dangerous vessel, and there's no real way for the Americans to know what he's doing. Enter Jack Ryan (Baldwin), a CIA analyst who believes in the captain's good intentions. The two start working together while contending with outside forces, a saboteur inside the Red October, and a powerful Soviet submarine commanded by a familiar face from Ramius' past.

It's all very Tom Clancy, and very much a spy thriller. There are also some big differences between "The Hunt for Red October" and the Tom Clancy book it's based on. Still, the copious submarine scenes are invariably amazing and wonderfully tense. The film's 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating is a good indicator of how well it does the job.

Where "The Hunt for Red October" protagonist Marko Ramius is a willing defector who has to deal with a backstabber on the boat, three-time Oscar nominee "Crimson Tide" examines a far more nuanced situation inside a submarine. Tony Scott's movie stars Gene Hackman as the stern and stubborn Captain Frank Ramsey, who's a hawk of the highest order and is more than willing to risk World War III when troubles arise with Russian rebels. His more level-headed executive officer, Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington), soon grows concerned, and it eventually becomes clear that Ramsey must be relieved of his duties. As it happens, this is easier said than done. 

"Crimson Tide" takes place in a fictional but all-too-believable political landscape where Russia is ravaged by civil war and a particularly dangerous faction threatens the world with nukes. This means that the stakes are globally off the wall, which in turn makes the conflict inside the submarine even more tense than it otherwise would be. An 89% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer rating is well-deserved, and eagle-eyed viewers will note folks like Viggo Mortensen, Rocky Carroll, and James Gandolfini in supporting roles. 

The French entry in the submarine thriller game is "The Wolf's Call" ("Le Chant du Loup"), which earns its impressive 92% Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score with a combination of a unique premise and brilliant execution. Here, we still have the obligatory heroic submarine captains and crew, but the centerpiece of the movie is a diligent and talented sonar man called Chanteraide (François Civil). During a high-risk rescue mission aboard the submarine Titane, acoustic warfare expert Chanteraide picks up signs of a mysterious sub that seems to be connected to the threat of a nuclear war between France and Russia — which, combined with Russia's hostile actions against Finland, could very well mark the start of a global conflict. 

It's a lot of responsibility for one sonar operator, but Chanteraide delivers the thrills. Without watching "The Wolf's Call," it's hard to decipher just how fascinating and unnerving the submarine sonar game can be — and combining it with the trappings of a great action thriller with massive stakes makes for one delicious cocktail. 

Anyone who's seen the 1981 German film "Das Boot" knows that there simply are no better submarine movies out there, and the film's 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating supports this sentiment. Wolfgang Petersen wrote the screenplay, directed the movie, and spent a staggering amount of money on "Das Boot," in a career-making effort that propelled him to Hollywood, and the brilliant cast is led by Jürgen Prochnow as the anti-Nazi captain of the U-96 submarine.

"Das Boot" inspects and follows the submarine's crew and their lives during weeks of difficult naval travel and warfare, detailing their external and internal struggles as well as confrontations with the enemy. The claustrophobic submarine U-96 is a character in itself, and its corridors and tiny halls become intimately familiar during the proceedings. Thrown into the mindlessness of World War II in what might just be the most mindless fashion to fight it, the submarine men are under constant pressure, and the divide between Nazi supporters and the crew members who don't buy into the cause only makes things more difficult.

It's impossible to describe "Das Boot" quite accurately to someone who hasn't seen it. The movie has a plot, but what it really runs on is emotion and stress. The film has heart, it has nerves, and it has soul. "Das Boot" is simply so good that it's not just the best submarine movie ever made. It's one of the best war movies out there, period.