The Commander

Set in October 1940 during the early stages of World War II, this historical drama follows Salvatore Todaro, the commander of the Italian submarine Cappellini. While patrolling the Atlantic, Todaro sinks an armed Belgian merchant ship. Despite the risks, he decides to rescue 26 shipwrecked sailors and transport them to a safe harbor. Because of the limited space on the vessel, the submarine must remain on the surface for several days, leaving the crew exposed to enemy detection and danger.

The film was directed by Edoardo De Angelis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sandro Veronesi. This production marks the first film directed by De Angelis in a career that also includes The Fire Within You. Pierfrancesco Favino stars as Salvatore Todaro, appearing alongside Massimiliano Rossi, Johan Heldenbergh, Silvia D'Amico, Arturo Muselli, and Giuseppe Brunetti.

Produced by companies including RAI Cinema and Indigo Film with a budget of 15 million USD, the movie earned 4 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audience reception is generally positive, with a rating of 6.5/10 on IMDb from 2,000 votes and 6.9/10 on TMDB from 236 votes. However, these scores are higher than the rating from film critics, which stands at 5.3/10 based on 17 reviews.