It’s been awhile since we’ve had ourselves a really good disaster movie. That looks about to change thanks to Nicolas Cage’s new film USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. The film tells the story of the worst naval disaster in American history, and now we have our first look at the trailer. Check it out.
The USS Indianapolis is famous for having a key role in the end of World War II. It was responsible for transporting key parts of one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, which helped end the war. On the way back, however, the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine, leaving hundred of seamen stranded in the water. That would have been bad enough, but then the sharks showed up. Only about 300 out of a crew of almost 1,200 survived. Nicolas Cage will play the ship’s captain, Charles B. McVay III. The captain was court martialed for "hazarding a ship" after he and the crew were finally rescued. This will apparently also be part of the film.
This is a disaster movie based on a true story, which means the end result is already known if you’re a student of history, or simply choose to look it up. However, the trailer, provided by Variety, looks harrowing enough to engage most people. Maybe even more so if you already know where it’s going. Spending five days of time with these characters as they fight for their lives, without much to fight with, has the potential to make for a deeply emotional film. Since the majority of USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage will focus on a group of young actors in one place, it will be on their shoulders to make much of the drama compelling, unless we’re expected to root for the sharks.
For many movie fans, their knowledge of the USS Indianapolis may actually comes from another famous movie. In Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, Quint turns out to be one of the sailors who survived the ordeal. He gives a stirring monolog about the event. Needless to say, Quint had a history with sharks. If you’re not familiar with the history of the USS Indianapolis, here’s a much better summary than I could give you.
What do you think of the trailer for USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage? No official release date for the film has yet been set. We can assume the trailer’s existence means that we’ll see it sooner rather than later, however.
