Ice Station Zebra
Seen it?1968 | 149 min | Thriller, Adventure
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
It's still drawing plenty of interest, but middling reviews (47% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a lukewarm 6.4 out of 10 from audiences held it back. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing and adventure fans. If you loved Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, start here.
- The mood
- Tense.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 2 hr 29 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated G, but peril.
- Made in 1968: an older pace and style.
A top-secret Soviet spy satellite -- using stolen Western technology -- malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated Arctic research encampment called Ice Station Zebra, belonging to the British, which starts sending out distress signals before falling silent. The atomic submarine Tigerfish, commanded by Cmdr. James Ferraday, is dispatched to save them.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsBelow par
47% on Rotten Tomatoes, 49 on Metacritic
- AudiencesBelow par
6.4 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$10 million worldwide on a $8 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 162K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by John Sturges
- Rock HudsonCdr. James Ferraday
- Ernest BorgnineBoris Vaslov
- Patrick McGoohanDavid Jones
- Jim BrownCapt. Leslie Anders
- Tony BillLt. Russell Walker
- Alf KjellinCol. Ostrovsky
- Gerald S. O'LoughlinLt. Cdr. Bob Raeburn
- Ted HartleyLt. Jonathan Hansen
- Murray RoseLt. George Mills
- Michael T. MiklerLt. Courtney Cartwright