Captivating movie !

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

From the man that would have brought you the Navy Way came a film that, towards the end of the second world war, seemed determined to get those young men in army or navy uniforms to fight for their countries.So, the story of a deserting Navy captain with a gambling problem who decides to join the troops again, even as a lowly minesweeper and seaman, is perfectly politically correct for the blossoming of the US involvement in the world's biggest monetary conflict to date a.k.a. WWII.It's obnoxious. The storyline is predictable. The characters are caricatured. People, including myself, are always ready to shoot on Micael Bay's awful Pearl Harbour, but that is nothing more than a film like Minesweeper with a much bigger budget. In the end, it's all about God, country, killing those Japs, and if you die, you die a hero, and everyone is proud of you, cos you were a good kid.But what can you do? The film isn't laughable, and it's made in a straight forward way that means no harm. As a product of its times and indoctrinations, it can be forgiven, but as a poor film, it cannot.

This is the story of a man who tries to make amends for past misdeeds in the service by reenlisting under another name, and whose experience in the service gives him an edge in the disarming of water mines.It is a well written story, with interesting characters all around, including the minor ones. Everything is very believable, not just by film standards, but by normal standards.However, I gave this only a ranking of 6, which is still above average, because for me it was painful viewing. It is not because of a bad story, but because it shows the pain involved with gambling addiction in a true light, which means it will be difficult to watch. This is still quality work, and if you aren't afraid of the pain, this may be the film for you.

This is a Pine-Thomas Production, which should tell you a lot. I described a similar P-T story to my brother who advised me not to expect too much, that there were thousands of these cheap flag-wavers made during the war.This is a cheap flag-waver about two sailors (Richard Arlen and Russel Hayden) who are rivals for the affections of the same girl (Jean Parker) who happens to be the niece of their affable mutual friend (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams). Those are the four principles and none of them can act, though I suppose Jean Parker could be considered a modest talent while the three men can't manage to project a believable line of dialog between them. Russell Hayden at least looks the part but the star, Richard Arlen, is too old for his character. Frank Fenton as Lt. Gilpin probably gives the best performance.The story, when it's not wrapped around that romantic triangle, has the three men together on a small harbor minesweeper that is removing Japanese mines from the channel at San Pedro, California. There never were any such mines but this is fiction all the way. Arlen's character rises from Seaman Recruit (E-1) to Gunner's Mate First Class (E-6) in the blink of an eye or the blast of a mine.Arlen's character has an improbable secret past, and somebody gets blown up by a mine, but none of it is in the least gripping. But there are some nice shots of the minesweeper itself and a PBY swooping down over the ocean. What keeps one's interest in the movie is watching Dub Taylor as a young man and Robert Mitchum as a non-speaking but prominently featured extra.

"Minesweeper" is a somewhat melodramatic but interesting World War II drama that has a pretty good story and that also takes a look at one of the less familiar aspects of the war. There are also some moments of real suspense and tension. The print that aired recently was unfortunately not very good, so viewing it involves accepting some distractions, but it has a number of points of interest to compensate.Richard Arlen stars as a naval officer who had deserted a few years before the war, but who finds himself drawn back to the Navy when the war breaks out. Helped by a friendly family, he assumes a new identity and re-enlists under his new name. Throughout the action that follows, he is faced with numerous dangerous missions, while also living in constant fear that his true identity will be discovered. He also finds himself involved in romantic complications. It all builds up to a climactic sequence of events that, while rather melodramatic, is action-packed and rather surprising.Arlen's ship is a minesweeper, and the film incorporates some interesting details on the job that such ships had to do in keeping shipping lanes and harbors free of mines. The hazards involved also lead to some rather tense moments of drama.The movie is not too long, and moves fairly quickly. It should hold some interest for most fans of old war movies.