The Hunt for Red October (1990)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers (WGA):

Tom Clancy (novel)
Larry Ferguson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Invisible. Silent. Stolen.

Plot:

In 1984, the USSR's best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war?

Plot Keywords:

Soviet | CIA | Submarine | Navy | Jack Ryan

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Marko Ramius
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Ryan
Scott Glenn	...	Bart Mancuso
Sam Neill	...	Captain Borodin
James Earl Jones	...	Admiral Greer
Joss Ackland	...	Andrei Lysenko
Richard Jordan	...	Jeffrey Pelt
Peter Firth	...	Ivan Putin
Tim Curry	...	Dr. Petrov
Courtney B. Vance	...	Seaman Jones
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Captain Tupolev
Jeffrey Jones	...	Skip Tyler
Timothy Carhart	...	Bill Steiner
Larry Ferguson	...	Chief of the Boat
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Admiral Painter

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:PG | Germany:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The body count of this movie is debatable because of the sinking of the V. K. Konovalov - the Alpha class submarine was intended to be operated by a crew of only 16-18 officers but in actual deployment would mostly have some 23-24 officers, as well as 4 petty officers and a cook on board. Apart from the crewmen of the Konovalov, the count is five: - Victor Putin, the political officer, the pilot and navigator of the F-14 crashing onto the Enterprise, Red October XO Vasilij Borodin, and cooks assistant/saboteur Loginov.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Range Rover that drops Jack Ryan at the Airport is seen to have a UK "C" registration plate - this translates to a car registered between August 1985 and July 1986, at least a year after the time frame of the film.

Quotes:

Captain Ramius: I miss the peace of fishing like when I was a boy. Forty years I've been at sea. A war at sea. A war with no battles, no monuments... only casualties. I widowed her the day I married her. My wife died while I was at sea, you know.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Chimera (#5.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Anthem of the Soviet Union

The action-thriller to end all action-thrillers

After seeing this movie, you'll wonder how Hollywood manages to turn out so many junk-action movies, now that they've figured out the right formula. To be fair, the vast majority of action movies don't have the benefit of Tom Clancy's greatest novel (granted, 'Sum of All Fears' was a very, very close second, for me). High tension and realistic (emphasis on that last word) depictions of modern warfare make for an excellent story.

Nonetheless, there are a few key qualities that shouldn't go unnoticed to today's directors. First (again) is the basis of a good plot that actually captures your attention, makes you think, and puts you on the edge of your seat. Second is the high caliber of actors: James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin (I'm a Harrison Ford fan, but I still think Baldwin was far better for the role), and - last but certainly not least - Sean Connery. I'm sure this wasn't cheap, but when you look at the product produced by three of the best professional actors, it's worth every penny. Third, is the great music; nothing too over the top, but well-orchestrated, and featuring a great set of pieces by a Russian men's choir (hard to go wrong!). Lastly, the great use of special effects, from which George Lucas himself could use a clue or two: it smoothly supports, and doesn't take the place of or interfere with, the development of the plot.

This is my #2 favorite movie of all-time, but you don't have to take my word for it. See it yourself! You'll be glad you did.