A very strange cast; very confusing story line; but a very good fox chasing the hound on the war time seas. John Wayne is a disgruntled German freighter captain that only wants to get his ship to safe port at the beginning of World War II. Not believing the ideals of Hitler, Wayne and his volunteer sailors set course for Norway. Pretending allegiance to Germany, Wayne must transport a beautiful spy(Lana Turner)to safety. The freighter must out run a determined British Commander(David Farrar)who has personal reasons to catch Wayne and his special cargo.

Diverse supporting cast includes: Lyle Bettger, James Arness, Tab Hunter and John Qualen. Action movies on the bounding sea always fascinate me. This is fun movie to watch.

What was with John Wayne in the 1950s?! Perhaps it was because he often produced his own films or had great star power, but whatever the reason, he chose some of the weirdest parts to play. Think about it...during this era he played Genghis Khan, a diplomat to Japan, an Air Force pilot (this isn't so weird, but his counterpart was Janet Leigh as a Russian pilot!!) and here he plays a German ship's captain during WWII!! At least here he is a German who dislikes the Nazis....but still...Wayne fighting for Germany during the war?! That's so surreal! The film begins just days before WWII begins. Wayne is having a conversation with an old friend who is a captain in the British Navy. This officer is trying to convince Wayne to leave his boat and come with him, as he knows that Wayne hates Hitler and the Nazis. However, Wayne's sense of duty and loyalty to his country prevent him from doing anything other than command his ship.

When the war begins, Wayne is concerned to first evade his friend's warship as well as avoid being captured once they are underway. So, it's a never-ending battle to take this merchant vessel to small ports where they can get food and fuel--and somehow possibly make it back to port at Valparaiso and eventually back to Germany.

What Wayne doesn't know is that his over-zealous Nazi of a first officer murders two innocent fishermen when they stop to get provisions. Later, when the British Navy discovers this atrocity, Wayne's old friend is determined to destroy the merchant ship and make Wayne pay.

During all this time, there inexplicably is a woman aboard. Apparently, she (Lana Turner) is a spy who needs to get away as soon as possible or she'll be captured. Once on board, she generally is a nuisance as she seems petulant and nasty for no particular reason. Later, naturally, sparks fly between Turner and Wayne--though the reason for this seemed a bit forced and illogical.

Let's talk more about Wayne and Turner. Although casting Wayne was odd, he handled the job well provided you were able to believe he was German. He did a good job and his character was particularly written well. As for Turner, she seemed like a giant walking cliché. She was moody and curt but over time she became enamored with Wayne. This turnaround was really too much, as she seemed all emotions and fickleness--a truly shallow and silly character (Turner, by the way, was good at these sort of roles). Late in the film, off the coast of Norway, the dialog (particularly hers) is really, really bad--very sticky and dumb.

Overall, a pretty interesting tale that didn't really need Lana Turner's character. She was a diversion in an otherwise engaging tale.

1955 marked the last year of John Wayne's streak of being number one at the box office and it was films like The Sea Chase that helped bring about an end to his reign.

I cannot understand for the life of me why John Wayne, as American as they come was cast as a German. Right around the same time there were players like Curt Jurgens or the newly arrived in Hollywood Yul Brynner who would have been far better and believable in the role of freighter captain Karl Ehrlich. Brynner in fact later on did quite well in the film Morituri playing a German freighter captain. James Mason would have done well also. What was the Duke thinking.

Offhand I can only think of three films in which he played a non-American, this one, The Long Voyage Home, and The Conqueror. Of course The Conqueror was one of the biggest flops in film history with Wayne as Genghis Khan. He did all right in The Long Voyage Home, but it's a small part in an ensemble production. John Ford must have been very patient with him getting that proper Swedish accent there. Wayne did not have Robert Mitchum's ear for dialect. In fact Mitchum might have been able to play Karl Ehrlich.

The story starts in Sydney harbor right before the Nazis march into Poland. With war talk in the air, Captain David Farrar visits his old friend Wayne on his tramp steamer and he brings his new fiancé, Lana Turner. Wayne knows her to be an adventuress and probably an agent for the Nazis. He tells her to leave Farrar while the leaving is good, little dreaming he'd be asked by the German consul to transport Turner back to Germany.

Wayne sneaks his ship out of Sydney Harbor and the Royal Navy gives chase. While stopping at an island for supplies, second officer Lyle Bettger, a hardened Nazi, murders the survivors of a fishing vessel who were stranded there. Of course the atrocity redounds to Wayne's ship and gives the Royal Navy real reason to pursue.

David Farrar is a fine British sea captain in the best stiff upper lip tradition. Of course Lyle Bettger adds to that wonderful group psychotics he developed a patent on during the fifties. Lana Turner is well cast in her role as femme fatale.

A whole lot of young players are in the crew of Wayne's ship like James Arness, Tab Hunter, Richard Davalos, and Alan Hale, Jr. When the ship stops and makes some repairs and provisions, the crew is put to work cutting down trees. Lots of topless beefcake for the audience there.

In addition Richard Davalos has a very touching death scene, probably the acting highlight of the film.

It's not the worst film John Wayne ever did, but fans of the eternal Duke will find his playing a German incongruous to say the least.