In time past movies like this would receive the blockbuster push as well as budget. I remember, for instance, the movie Pearl Harbor which had a big release with the current young actors/actresses of the day. Maybe this movie was shelved or something similar which caused it to be delayed until now. I would have thought the film would have come out in the early 2000's on the coattails of the bestselling book "In Harms Way" which caused a spike in public awareness of the USS Indianapolis and it's saga. I just get the feeling there was some delay in the big screen story finally being made to which it is sometimes seen in the lesser than current state of the art CGI and even the choice of side stories.
In spite of the anything that may have been going on with getting a movie made about the USS Indianapolis I'd say it's better late than not at all. While the big things like the ill-advised decision to not allow a destroyer escort are depicted with truth and realism making the USS Indianapolis a sitting duck for disaster, I'm not sure if the fictional side stories concocted by the writers add as much?
All in all even with the lessened production budget I enjoyed watching this movie. Even though he's past his prime, perhaps, Nicolas Cage did an admirable job of giving Lt. McVay that air of a great officer put into an almost impossible situation. It's literally a miracle the ship made the first leg of it's trip to deliver what would be not just a war ending cargo but a new age in which all the world would be thrust into. The crew of the USS Indianapolis deserve a movie to remember their sacrifice and since this is what we have I say see it. It's good enough if not exactly what they deserve. It can't be stressed that the final act of surviving captain McVay was needlessly tragic: the Navy being responsible for one more huge injustice.
In spite of the anything that may have been going on with getting a movie made about the USS Indianapolis I'd say it's better late than not at all. While the big things like the ill-advised decision to not allow a destroyer escort are depicted with truth and realism making the USS Indianapolis a sitting duck for disaster, I'm not sure if the fictional side stories concocted by the writers add as much?
All in all even with the lessened production budget I enjoyed watching this movie. Even though he's past his prime, perhaps, Nicolas Cage did an admirable job of giving Lt. McVay that air of a great officer put into an almost impossible situation. It's literally a miracle the ship made the first leg of it's trip to deliver what would be not just a war ending cargo but a new age in which all the world would be thrust into. The crew of the USS Indianapolis deserve a movie to remember their sacrifice and since this is what we have I say see it. It's good enough if not exactly what they deserve. It can't be stressed that the final act of surviving captain McVay was needlessly tragic: the Navy being responsible for one more huge injustice.