Lifeboat

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Lifeboat

1944

1h 36m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In this tense Alfred Hitchcock thriller, based on a John Steinbeck novella, American and British civilians who have survived the sinking of their ship by a German submarine struggle to reach land in a crowded lifeboat. When a German officer (Walter Slezak) is rescued from the water, the group allows him to board, but his presence only increases the tensions on the boat. Soon treachery ensues, and the population of the vessel gradually decreases as conflicts come to a head.

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Critics Consensus

Hitchcock proves he can wring suspense from the most confined of settings aboard a raft teeming with vivid personalities in this maritime thriller.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Despite that it's a slow starter, the picture, from the beginning, leaves a strong impact and, before too long, develops into the type of suspenseful product with which Hitchcock has always been identified.

Oct 16, 2008

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

That old master of screen melodrama, Alfred Hitchcock, and Writer John Steinbeck have combined their distinctive talents in a tremendously provocative film.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 25, 2006

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Dan Callahan

Slant Magazine

Hitchcock's shifting sympathies guarantee our guilty involvement with the characters until he builds to a climax of intellectual and spiritual excitation.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 24, 2005

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Beyond the characters, this is a very challenging film from both a directing and cinematography standpoint.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 28, 2024

Full Review

Kristin Battestella

InSession Film

Intense poker, lipstick, and flirtations increase as beards grow and tables turn amid storms, hunger, delirium, and suspicion in a no win situation that remains gripping from beginning to end.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Francois Truffaut

Arts (France)

Lifeboat is like roast beef without gravy, and whoever does not get enthusiastic about the movie will be bored to death.

May 26, 2022

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MaryAnn M.

Love Hitchcock and this movie was great

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/19/25

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Jared M.

One of my all time favorites!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

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Steve D

Well done but not anything that I would want to revisit.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

Full Review

Ma'ark T

Hitchcock has the ability to make movies set in one place and keep them interesting. I was not bored by Lifeboat but I was not enthralled either. The suspense just was not there for me. The most interesting part for me was the insight into how those in 1944 thought about the war that was underway at the time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

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Jack V

Great thriller, despite the movie seeming straight-forward and simple, the plot ends up being very interesting and unpredictable. Great dialogue and immaculate directing.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/24

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Alec B

Come for Tallulah Bankhead stay for the simmering tension and engaging debates around wartime morality.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

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Constance "Connie" Porter

William Bendix

Gus Smith

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Synopsis

In this tense Alfred Hitchcock thriller, based on a John Steinbeck novella, American and British civilians who have survived the sinking of their ship by a German submarine struggle to reach land in a crowded lifeboat. When a German officer (Walter Slezak) is rescued from the water, the group allows him to board, but his presence only increases the tensions on the boat. Soon treachery ensues, and the population of the vessel gradually decreases as conflicts come to a head.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Kenneth Macgowan
Screenwriter: Ben Hecht, John Steinbeck, Jo Swerling
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, CBS/Fox, Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 1944, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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