The Bedford Incident

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The Bedford Incident

1965

1h 37m

Adventure

Crime

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

09/20/2023

... 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.

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Variety Staff

Variety

07/06/2010

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.

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Time Out

01/26/2006

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.

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TV Guide

05/14/2012

3.5/4

Taut and suspenseful.

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

10/20/2005

3.5/5

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.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

08/01/2005

3/5

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Steve D

07/24/2023

A mixed bag of ridiculous and interesting.

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D. P

06/19/2021

1957! Kinda tiresome watching Widmark perpetually angry and irritated. Like they are trying to remake Captain Queeg of the Caine Mutiny.

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11/11/2020

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.

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N L

05/17/2020

its not the most exciting film but it does have high quality

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01/24/2020

What is scary that it came out in 1990 when the soviet union fell that this movie came very close to happening in 1962.

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12/10/2016

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.

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James B. Harris

Director

Richard Widmark

Captain Eric Finlander U.S.N.

Sidney Poitier

Ben Munceford

Martin Balsam

Lieutenant Commander Chester Potter, M.D., U.S.N.

James MacArthur

Ensign Ralston

Wally Cox

Seaman Merlin Queffle

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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, Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 37m

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