Japan's first nuclear submarine, codenamed, Seabat, carries 18 non-conventional nuclear warheads. Manned by a crew who are believed to be dead, officially, the sub doesn't exist. Exciting, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, Silent Service is one of the best anime ever.
In an attempt to draw attention to their counterpart, the Japanese government created their first nuclear submarine since World War 2, classified as the Seabat. To eliminate the risk of repeating history, and because Japan has become a nuclear-free zone, the navy hires crewmen who are believed to be dead making the whole project strictly confidential. But when the American government finds out, and the Captain of the Seabat turns against his crew, tension escalates and war threatens the fate of both countries.
The animation is superb, featuring cinematography which I have yet to see in other anime, and the voice acting is great (you may remember the voice of Captain Keida being that of the main charecter in Big Wars). The only drawback in the whole film is that it starts off very slowly, dropping unexplained events at you, making the viewer very confused. As well, the most exciting bits are near the end, and although the charecter development is very deep and interesting, this begins to get boring after the first hour. And another thing, this movie runs an almost unbearable two-hours (I know that Akira was two-and-a-half, but still). But if you can survive through the confusing beginning, and the boring middle, you're in for a treat.

Runtime: 01:36:19
Video: 512x384, 877 kb/s, 29.970 fps
Audio: 128 kb/s (64/ch, stereo) CBR, 44100 Hz

silent.service.[am].avi 11 clicks