Full Fathom Five (film)
Encyclopedia
Full Fathom Five is an action film
from 1990, written
by Bart Davis and directed by Carl Franklin
, starring Michael Moriarty
, Maria Rangel, and Diego Bertie
.
Bart Davis, is set in the days preceding the United States
invasion of Panama
in 1989. USS Aspen, a fictional Los Angeles-class submarine
, rescues agents from Panama, and Peter MacKenzie (Michael Moriarty
), the submarine's commanding officer, promptly falls in love
with the beautiful Justine (Maria Rangel). Meanwhile, Panamanian rebels seize a Soviet submarine (the "Victor Three class submarine CCCP Kirov") and threaten America with a nuclear attack on Houston, Texas
. Only MacKenzie and his crew can stop the villains.
earned praise for his ability to work on a low budget. However, technical accuracy was not a priority; the submarine warfare tactics used are absurd and the military structure, uniforms, insignia, and jargon — including those purporting to be the United States Navy
— are entirely imaginary.
Two blatant examples are the insignia worn where the rank designations should be on the American's khaki
uniforms (the Production Team used US Navy Academy Midshipmans Rank), and the name of the Soviet boat "Alpha Victor Three class submarine CCCP Kirov." There is an Alfa class
of submarines, there is a Victor III class
of submarines, "CCCP" is faux Cyrillic
for Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and the lead ship
of a class
of battlecruiser
s was named Kirov
, but the combination is doubtful. The novel, Full Fathom Five, however, has no such technical flaws, and has been published in several languages, including Chinese and Japanese.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
from 1990, written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by Bart Davis and directed by Carl Franklin
Carl Franklin
Carl Franklin is an American actor, screenwriter and film and television director. Franklin is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley and continued his education at the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with an M.F.A. degree in directing in 1986...
, starring Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
, Maria Rangel, and Diego Bertie
Diego Bertie
Diego Felipe Bertie Brignardello is a contemporary Peruvian actor of British and Italian descent. He studied at Markham College in Lima, Peru...
.
Synopsis
Full Fathom Five, based on the novel byBart Davis, is set in the days preceding the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
invasion of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in 1989. USS Aspen, a fictional Los Angeles-class submarine
Los Angeles class submarine
The Los Angeles class, sometimes called the LA class or the 688 class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that forms the backbone of the United States submarine fleet. With 43 submarines on active duty and 19 retired, the Los Angeles class is the most numerous nuclear powered...
, rescues agents from Panama, and Peter MacKenzie (Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
), the submarine's commanding officer, promptly falls in love
Limerence
Limerence is a term coined c. 1977 by the psychologist Dorothy Tennov to describe an involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated...
with the beautiful Justine (Maria Rangel). Meanwhile, Panamanian rebels seize a Soviet submarine (the "Victor Three class submarine CCCP Kirov") and threaten America with a nuclear attack on Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Only MacKenzie and his crew can stop the villains.
Criticism
Full Fathom Five has obvious flaws, but Carl FranklinCarl Franklin
Carl Franklin is an American actor, screenwriter and film and television director. Franklin is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley and continued his education at the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with an M.F.A. degree in directing in 1986...
earned praise for his ability to work on a low budget. However, technical accuracy was not a priority; the submarine warfare tactics used are absurd and the military structure, uniforms, insignia, and jargon — including those purporting to be the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
— are entirely imaginary.
Two blatant examples are the insignia worn where the rank designations should be on the American's khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
uniforms (the Production Team used US Navy Academy Midshipmans Rank), and the name of the Soviet boat "Alpha Victor Three class submarine CCCP Kirov." There is an Alfa class
Alfa class submarine
The Soviet Union/Russian Navy Project 705 was a class of hunter/killer nuclear powered submarines. The class is also known by the NATO reporting name of Alfa...
of submarines, there is a Victor III class
Victor class submarine
The Victor class is the NATO reporting name for a type of nuclear-powered submarine that was originally put into service by the Soviet Union around 1967. In the USSR, they were produced as Project 671. Victor-class subs featured a teardrop shape, which allowed them to travel at high speed...
of submarines, "CCCP" is faux Cyrillic
Faux Cyrillic
Faux Cyrillic, pseudo-Cyrillic, pseudo-Russian or faux Russian typography is the use of Cyrillic letters in Latin text to evoke the Soviet Union or Russia, regardless of whether the letters are phonetic matches. For example, R and N in RUSSIAN may be replaced by Cyrillic Я and И, giving "ЯUSSIAИ"...
for Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of a class
Kirov class battlecruiser
The Kirov-class battlecruiser is a class of nuclear-powered military ships of the Russian Navy, the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships currently in active operation in the world. The Russian designation is heavy nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser...
of battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s was named Kirov
Soviet battlecruiser Kirov
Kirov, the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered missile cruisers, is one of the major and biggest surface warships of the Russian Navy, though it was originally built for the Soviet Navy. It is similar in size to a World War II battleship...
, but the combination is doubtful. The novel, Full Fathom Five, however, has no such technical flaws, and has been published in several languages, including Chinese and Japanese.