2024 Show
Kohei Yoshino · Japan, United States of America · Japanese
A captain randomly goes rogue in this visually stunning, but depthless submarine thriller
There are plenty of submarine thrillers that work in the present, but when it comes to the genre, the most memorable stories are set during the Cold War, where major superpowers made as much advances in tech as they can without bringing war to the world. The Silent Service depicts an alternate history, where, tired of both the U.S. and Japan, making underhanded moves against each other in their supposed alliance, one submarine captain commits mutiny to declare his nuclear submarine as one nation. Amazon Prime has expanded the film into an eight episode show, which gives much more detail to the sub battles, tech, and underwater escapades. However, because of focusing too much on the step-by-step events, The Silent Service loses sight of the thrilling and terrifying potential of having one crew being in control of nuclear weapons in an undetectable, high-tech submarine that can go anywhere.
Shiro Kaieda is appointed the captain of Japan's first nuclear submarine, jointly built by Japan and the United States in top secret. However, he and his 76 crew members go rogue in this story that delves into themes of nuclear war, international politics, and world peace.
During the Cold War, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, along with the United States Navy, developed the country’s first nuclear submarine named Seabat. However, while the Seabat makes its maiden voyage, the captain Shiro Kaieda and his crew declares the submarine to be an independent state of Yamato, causing international uproar and strain between Japan-US relations.
What kept The Silent Service from being adapted is the tech required to depict certain scenes, such as the intentional sinking of the Yamanami, and the underwater battles between subs that are supposed to be allied. While the Cold War stakes aren't really made clear in this film-turned-show, instead focusing on the dynamic between Kaieda and Fukamachi, the visual effects are at least up to snuff, bringing to life the awe and wonder of the new tech from the original 80’s manga.
The tech is great and all, but I wish the show got us to care more about Kaieda’s motivations, so that he feels more like an intriguing strategist rather than a random generic villain with nuclear weapons.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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