1941

1941 (1979) is Steven Spielberg's war comedy, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Days after Pearl Harbor, Southern California loses its nerve: everyone is sure an invasion is coming, and a Japanese submarine really is creeping toward the coast with orders to blow up Hollywood.

Spielberg made this right after Jaws and Close Encounters, then aimed straight for pandemonium. A trigger-happy officer rallies a mob to hunt the sub, a tank rolls through the wrong neighborhood, and anti-aircraft guns blast away at nothing. The cast is stacked: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee, Ned Beatty and Robert Stack.

It's loud, expensive and gleefully over the top — the rare film where Spielberg floors the throttle just to watch the chaos pile up. Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune commands the submarine himself. Stream 1941 (1979) online on iFILM.