Operation Pacific

Released Jan 27, 1951

1h 51m

War

List

20%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

50%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

In the South Pacific, submarine officer Duke Gifford (John Wayne) and the crew of the "Thunderfish" are attacked by the Japanese during a rescue mission, and their torpedoes malfunction. Returning safely to Pearl Harbor, Duke meets his ex-wife, Mary (Patricia Neal), who still feels strongly for him but is engaged to a pilot, the brother of Duke's commander, Pop Perry (Ward Bond). Determined to win Mary back, Duke is sidetracked when he and the crew are ordered on a mission with new torpedoes.

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Ian Kane

Epoch Times

“Operation Pacific” gives a good sense of how things were back in the 1950s. As the United States had largely recovered from World War II, there was an almost palpable feeling of optimism for the future.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 22, 2023

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

A hearty oldfashioned undersea drama weighed down by tiresome romantic bickerings ashore.

Oct 24, 2019

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

...typical of John Wayne's war films: heroic, nationalistic, patriotic, sentimental, and hokey.

Rated: 4/10

Apr 21, 2010

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

The most interesting element of this typical John Wayne WWII picture is his relationship with his former wife, played by the estimable Patricia Neal.

Rated: C+

Nov 10, 2006

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Routine WW II submarine film that's lengthy and short on action but long on romance.

Rated: C

Jan 5, 2006

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Russ

Of the WW2 sub pictures made during or after the war, this is probably the worst. It is, however, one of the two that touched on the failures of the Mark 14 torpedo.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/23

Full Review

Steve D

Miscast Wayne in a better than average story.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wonderfully delicious WWII film, great cast, good story, let your love for the classic genre run away! Good cast,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Wonderful movie with great historical references

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

Unfortunately The Duke didn't leave as much of an impression as usual, with this surprisingly corny, but still very entertaining war drama, as he did with his previous one, The Sands of Iwo Jima. Side-note: Unless you are a sizeable fanatic of war and romance films, (or a John Wayne fan), then this movie is not the one for you. My grade for the film: B-

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Lightly entertaining John Wayne submarine drama. The Pacific Theatre of WW2. Lt Commander Duke Gifford (played by John Wayne) is the Executive Officer of a US Navy submarine, the USS Thunderfish. The submarine fleet, incl the Thunderfish, is suffering from malfunctioning torpedoes. Meanwhile Commander Gifford is also trying to win back his ex-wife... A stereotypical John Wayne movie, i.e. overly gung ho and not that accurate, militarily. Some quite unrealistic battle scenes. The relationship side is mildly interesting but also overly melodramatic and complex. Not all bad though, as long as you don't think too much. The battle scenes are quite exciting and there are some insights into submarine life.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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George Waggner

Director

John Wayne

Lt Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford

Patricia Neal

Lt. (j.g.) Mary Stuart

Ward Bond

Cmdr. John T. "Pop" Perry

Scott Forbes

Lt. Larry

Philip Carey

Lt. (j.g.) Bob Perry

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Synopsis

In the South Pacific, submarine officer Duke Gifford (John Wayne) and the crew of the "Thunderfish" are attacked by the Japanese during a rescue mission, and their torpedoes malfunction. Returning safely to Pearl Harbor, Duke meets his ex-wife, Mary (Patricia Neal), who still feels strongly for him but is engaged to a pilot, the brother of Duke's commander, Pop Perry (Ward Bond). Determined to win Mary back, Duke is sidetracked when he and the crew are ordered on a mission with new torpedoes.

Director: George Waggner
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 1951, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 51m

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