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The Bedford Incident

Play trailer Poster for The Bedford Incident 1965 1h 42m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is aboard a U.S. Navy ship sailing near the Arctic Circle, on assignment to write a profile of Capt. Eric Finlander (Richard Widmark), a hardened anti-communist. Despite the concerns of Munceford, medical officer Chester Potter (Martin Balsam) and others on the ship, Finlander is shadowing a Soviet submarine on patrol in the same area, hoping to make it to surface. The cat-and-mouse game, however, turns deadly serious.
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The Bedford Incident

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Chris Bennion Times (UK) ... A thrilling Cold War drama adapted from Mark Rascovich's novel, which was loosely based on a real-life incident in 1962 and, satisfyingly, Moby-Dick. Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Poitier does an excellent job in both the light and serious aspects of his role, and manages to leave a personal stamp on his scenes. Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Time Out Harris, Stanley Kubrick's former producer, here came up with his own Dr Strangelove variant, muting the black humour but just as incisively diagnosing nuclear insanity. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review TV Guide Taut and suspenseful. Rated: 3.5/4 May 14, 2012 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com The ending is a real piece of work that comes out of nowhere, and even though the film is a little repetitive up to that point, it's all worth it for the titular 'incident' in the end. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 20, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Aug 1, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D A mixed bag of ridiculous and interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/24/23 Full Review deke p 1957! Kinda tiresome watching Widmark perpetually angry and irritated. Like they are trying to remake Captain Queeg of the Caine Mutiny. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I must have been very young when I watched this or it was on reruns but at any rate, it held my attention and the tension just kept ratcheting up. The pressure was on the entire chain of crew members to stay with the American commander's orders as he assessed the Soviets' intentions. It's an ultimate Cold War film and regrettably with tight direction missing from more popular movies of the era. It has been mostly unavailable for watching compared to productions striving more for entertainment than realism. I would categorize it as presenting an anti-war message or a cautionary tale if that gives it a genre without giving away the plot. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review delysid d its not the most exciting film but it does have high quality Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/17/20 Full Review Audience Member What is scary that it came out in 1990 when the soviet union fell that this movie came very close to happening in 1962. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Very entertaining cold war film about a game of cat and mouse between an American destroyer and a Soviet submarine off the coast of Greenland that ends badly. Had to feel for new navy doctor, Martin Balsam, whose recommendations of a higher protein diet get immediately dismissed by the ship captain. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Bedford Incident

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Movie Info

Synopsis Reporter Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is aboard a U.S. Navy ship sailing near the Arctic Circle, on assignment to write a profile of Capt. Eric Finlander (Richard Widmark), a hardened anti-communist. Despite the concerns of Munceford, medical officer Chester Potter (Martin Balsam) and others on the ship, Finlander is shadowing a Soviet submarine on patrol in the same area, hoping to make it to surface. The cat-and-mouse game, however, turns deadly serious.
Director
James B. Harris
Producer
James B. Harris
Screenwriter
James Poe
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Runtime
1h 42m
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