cpattison If you are interested in learning more about this sort of thing happening in modern civilization, there is an excellent book called "Outlaw Seas" or "The Outlaw Sea", and it describes, in story after story, how these things do happen. The lawlessness of the high seas is a reality for a number of reasons. One, many of the world's freighters are of questionable registry (nationality) and it's difficult to impossible to enforce international laws when the ships owners don't have an office in a real country. Two, many ship lines employ crews from dirt poor third world countries. The crews are often (like illegal immigrant workers) threatened and bullied into complying with questionable or illegal practices. Three, there is often a language barrier, not only between the officers and the crew, but also between the crew members themselves. The crew are rewarded for their compliance and their silence. Four, once committing an illegal act, the ships are able to hide in plain sight with little more than a fresh coat of paint. Anyway, it's fascinating reading.Horrifying story, excellent movie. Does anyone else notice how HBO seems to make the best and most important movies? Hollywood has trouble releasing enough Oscar worthy movies in any given year, so that several of the top 5 contenders usually come from Britain. Jerry Bruckheimer = the end of quality cinema.I loved the thoroughly evil performance by Sean Pertwee. I also, as usual, loved Omar Epps.

Theo Robertson I absolutely hate the idea of made for television films . For me TVMs usually involve Jane Seymour or Jaclyn Smith as the mother of a sick child who is dying of a difficult to treat disease all done in such a sugary manner that the audience doesn`t need tissues it needs insulin . So when DEADLY VOYAGE a made for TV film by the BBC and HBO based on a true story I vaguely remembered from a couple of years previously turned up on the TV schedules I sat down waiting to be bored senseless . I was surprised.No strike that last sentence , I wasn`t surprised I was shocked . Here is a TVM that grips you tighter than a great white shark , in fact DEADLY VOYAGE doesn`t deserve to be relegated to the TV schedules it should have been made and distributed by a top Hollywood film company due its absolutely terrifying premise and what`s more it`s - unlike PAPILLON and SLEEPERS - completely true For those who don`t know the story !!!!! POSSIBLE SPOILERS AS TO PLOT !!!!! sometime in the early 90s a bunch of Africans stowed away on an Ukrainian freight ship bound for France in order to work there. Of course it was an attempt at illegal immigration but the crew of the freighter had already been fined for allowing illegal immigrants onto their ship from a previous journey and not wanting to get into anymore trouble with maritime and immigration authorities the crew murder the Africans after discovering them hiding in the hold. All except one African , Kingsley Ofusu , who manages to escape from the firing squad but who must try and survive aboard the ship , but the problem is the crew are hunting him and France is still several days voyage away .Just typing the above paragraph reminds of how good DEADLY VOYAGE is . What a remarkable story , and once again it is - unlike many stories that claim to be - totally true . It`s very well written , directed and acted , especially by Sean Pertwee ( Why isn`t that guy a big name star ? ) , and most of all it`s a tense claustrophobic disturbing thriller that I can still remember vividly six years after seeing it for the one and only time . I look forward to seeing again .But you`ve got to ask yourself how can a TVM be better than most of the Hollywood action blockbusters that came out round about the same time ? Oh hold on , I`ve just had a disturbing thought about Jerry Bruickhiemer doing a remake with Tony Scott directing and with Denzil Washington playing Kingsley , Brad Pitt playing Pertwee`s role , massive artistic licence taken with events etc. Let`s keep DEADLY VOYAGE a superlative TVM rather than a poor blockbuster

Christopher T. Chase I came into this movie about halfway through, but didn't need a synopsis to know what was going on. Like most movies about racial prejudice and the violence that it can inspire, you think about how the reviewers would sanction the portrayals of the villains as "too one-dimensional, caricatures of stock rednecks or South Afrikaaners," which is what I thought they were, especially when I saw Joss Ackland, Andrew Divoff and Sean Pertwee, who have all played similar roles before.The most shocking thing to discover is that this is based on a true story, which renders most critiques as moot and irrelevant. Even more amazing is that this took place on a Russian ship. With the history of persecution amongst their own people, you would think they'd be the last ones to commit such an atrocity. But no one needs to find an object of persecution more than the persecuted, and that certainly doesn't excuse what happened, whether it adequately explains it or not.In any case, I stuck it out until the end, and couldn't have been happier to see that the crew was prosecuted by the French authorities. It is a tale that needs to be seen more widely, as a cautionary story that warns us all that prejudice and the virulence it breeds is universal, and comes in any language, any background, no matter where or who you are.

jpyoyo An excellent movie. I couldn't take my eyes off the TV screen for a second. It has a strong plot based on a true story, a story of stowaways, which I heard of only from news but never had a chance to have an indirect experience through a movie or any other medium. Every American, especially non-white immigrants can empathize with the characters who hop on a ship and take a risk for a better life in New York City. Even before they put a foot on the American land, they are confronted with the hate by the Russian crew, one of whom said that "niggers" are not welcome in the US--niggers' lives are not worth a dog's life or the oil they might have to waste for a stopping. How surprising and shocking it is for the Russian crew to adopt American white supremacists' hate towards blacks without any hesitation.