Lifeboat (1944)

After their ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U boat, a disparate group of eight passengers struggle to survive while waiting to be rescued. But soon there will be a ninth passenger, the Nazi captain (Walter Slezak) of the U boat that torpedoed them. Based on a story by John Steinbeck and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The entire film is set on the lifeboat and Hitchcock still manages to make the movie a gripping experience. Sure, the film is essentially a WWII propaganda film but far more creative and intense than the usual bunch. At the time of its release, the film received criticism over its depiction of Slezak's Nazi as being too favorable and also toward the African American Canada Lee's ship's steward as being too "stereotypical". I don't think either criticism holds up under scrutiny. Slezak's Nazi is clearly the strongest of the bunch but it's more of a warning to not underestimate the cunning of the enemy. Lee's character is clearly intelligent and with more of a moral backbone than the Caucasian characters (when the others engage in a group killing, he's the only one who refuses to participate), not to mention a heroic turn at the film's end. The film also gives the legendary Tallulah Bankhead a rare opportunity to shine on film (she won the New York film critics best actress award for her work here). With John Hodiak, William Bendix, Hume Cronyn, Henry Hull, Mary Anderson and Heather Angel.