YMMV / Lifeboat

• Anvilicious: Parts of the film can feel like propaganda, with how cartoonish a villain Willy turns out to be. One of the film's closing lines is "they have to all be exterminated". Ironically, the film met with a poor reception from those who thought Willy was too competent or sympathetic. Some even complained that the Nazis themselves could use it as propaganda with minimal edits.
• Award Snub: There was some buzz about Tallulah Bankhead getting an Oscar nomination, but she ultimately went unrecognised. She herself attributed it to her not being a Hollywood regular, as it was her first film in a decade, and she was considered "a foreigner".
• Fair for Its Day: Joe is the Token Minority and stays a secondary character throughout the film, but there's a notable lack of stereotyping in his role. He even gets to voice a couple subtle objections to racism, by insisting on being called by his own name instead of "George" (the generic name used for Pullman porters), and snarkily expressing surprise that he's allowed to vote on whether or not to keep Willy on board (since this was still the Jim Crow era).
• Funny Moments: Practically every other line out of Constance's mouth.
  • One of the first things Kovac fishes out of the wreck is a tennis racket. She quips that she now has a chance to perfect her "back hand".
  • She asks Kovac if he knows anything about machines. When he replies yes, she asks him to fix the clasp on her bracelet.
  • Upon looking at all Kovac's tattoos...
  "Never could understand the quaint habit of making a billboard out of one's torso."
  • She then praises him for his delicacy in just tattooing the initials, and not including the addresses and phone numbers.
  • Using her diamond bracelet as bait to lure a fish in. She assures the others it's good bait because "I bit on it myself".
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Connie showing her Hidden Heart of Gold in talking Gus into the amputation. He's worried his girl back home Rosie will leave him if he can't dance anymore. She reassures him that if Rosie's as good a woman as he believes she is, she won't desert him, and will be glad to have him home in any condition.
  • Alice and Stanley joke that they would marry each other if they were on land. Later, when they're close to the supply ship, Alice remembers and asks what his last name is. He spells out G-A-R-R-E-T and she smiles, indicating she'll happily call herself Mrs Garrett.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Fans of Tallulah Bankhead usually tout this as her best film performance, as she was more comfortable on the stage, and had left Hollywood after only making six films in the 1930s (as Paramount had no clue what to do with her). It's widely agreed that Alfred Hitchcock utilised the actress to her strengths.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Poor Mrs Higley. She comes on board, having supposedly been trying to drown herself and her baby. Her baby is pronounced dead immediately, and she goes catatonic. They hold a small funeral for the baby to bury him at sea. When she wakes up, she can't remember and asks where he is. Later, she's found to have hanged herself overboard.
  • Willy pushes Gus overboard and the others don't wake up in time to help him. We're treated to several agonizing moments of him calling for help before he's lost.
• Vindicated by History: Attacked and condemned at the time for the Willy character not being a full on Hate Sink in the public's eyes, it's now seen in a higher regard for the script, performances and overall direction.