Minesweeper (DVD)

When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Richard Houston, a fugitive deserter, penniless and adrift, decides to take a chance and re-enlist. To avoid being identified and prosecuted, Houston gives the recruiter an alias - Jim Smith. Assigned to duty on a minesweeper tasked with keeping the harbors clear for essential war-time naval traffic, Houston/Smith does his best to keep a low profile. His risky job gets much more dangerous when the enemy scatters a deadly new type of mine on the seabed.

Packed with war-time suspense and building to a shocking climax, Minesweeper is an engrossing tale of wartime friendship, love, and honor. Star Richard Arlen got his big break into film when William Wellman cast him in the blockbuster silent hit, Wings, which won the 1927 Best Picture Oscar. Arlen would continue working before the camera for another 40 years. Robert Mitchum, at the very beginning of his celebrated career, has an brief, non-speaking bit part here. Two years later, Mitchum would earn a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in 1945's Story of G.I. Joe.

• drama