Submarine: Steel Boats, Iron Men

Everyday, American submariners go below the waves for months at a time on submarine patrols. Steel Boats, Iron Men is the only film where the US Navy allowed filmmakers to go down with them. The film presents a never before seen look inside a state of the art nuclear powered submarine on patrol. It shows, in extraordinary detail, the daily ordinary and extraordinary lives of submariners. You will see things in this film that you have never seen before. The filmmakers also spent time trying to understand the character and personality that allows someone to become a submariner. They looked at training, family life, background, etc. The viewer visits a " wet trainer" at Sub School to see what these submariners must endure before they ever climb inside one of these remarkable ships. Who are these men, who live confined in a steel tube deep in the ocean for months at a time, surrounded by a hostile environment, in constant danger? What do they do and why do they do it?

Directed by David Hoffman, Kirk Wolfinger, Submarine: Steel Boats, Iron Men leans on a strong ensemble — Tom Clancy — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1989.