The Italian Navy’s involvement in the submarine battles in the North Atlantic during World War II is rarely illustrated in films. “The Commander – Decision in the Atlantic” tries to remedy this. Here is the trailer:
“The Commander – Decision in the Atlantic” reports on a man who is still revered as a hero in Italy, but is only known to a few people in this country: the submarine commander Salvatore Todaro. The Sicilian, who grew up in Venice, was one of the most decorated naval officers of his time. However, he achieved true fame by repeatedly rescuing shipwrecked people whose boats he had previously sunk.
In the dramatic biopic from director Edoardo De Angelis (“Maradona: Fantastically Blessed”), Todaro is portrayed by one of the most popular Italian mimes of the moment: Pierfrancesco Favino from “Il Traditore”, “World War Z” and “Last Night in Milan”. The film celebrated its world premiere in summer 2023 as part of the renowned Venice Film Festival. Our editor Björn Becher was able to see it on site at the time. While he expressly praises the visual advantages, including the implementation of several sea battles, in his FILMSTARTS review, he assesses the narrative qualities of “The Commander” far less positively.
In this country, “The Commander – Decision in the Atlantic” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 24, 2024.
“The Commander” on Amazon*
This is what happens in the war film biopic “The Commander”
1940: In the Atlantic, the submarine war between the Axis powers and Great Britain and its allies reaches its first climax. Although he was seriously wounded in an earlier mission, Lieutenant Commander Salvatore Todaro (Favino) and his men were also assigned there.
Deep behind enemy lines, their boat, the Cappellini, is supposed to carry out individual attacks on Allied merchant ships. Everyone is aware that it is a suicide mission – but the crew is still highly motivated. The sailors admire their commander, who is known for his often clairvoyant, tactical mind, and subordinate themselves to him with full trust. When the Cappellini sinks a ship flying the Belgian flag, Todaro gives an order that was completely unexpected, and not just for the enemy…
One of the great role models for the makers of the film was probably the absolute masterpiece, which FILMSTARTS editor Daniel Fabian would like to recommend to you as a streaming tip in the following article:
Stream War Film Masterpiece Tonight: A Haunting 3.5 Hour Epic You’ll Never Forget
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