The Hunt for Red October (1990) Paramount/Action-Adventure RT: 135 minutes Rated PG (language, violence) Director: John McTiernan Screenplay: Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart Music: Basil Poledouris Cinematography: Jan de Bont Release date: March 2, 1990 (US) Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland, Tim Curry, Richard Jordan, Peter Firth, Courtney B. Vance, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeffrey Jones, Timothy Carhart, Larry Ferguson, Fred Dalton Thompson, Daniel Davis, Ned Vaughn, Anthony Peck, Ronald Guttman, Tomas Arana, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Rick Ducommun, Andrew Divoff, Gates McFadden.
Rating: ****
The first of best-selling author Tom Clancy’s novels to be adapted for the big screen is The Hunt for Red October, a massive scale Cold War action-adventure about a Soviet submarine captain who hijacks a new high-tech vessel during a routine training exercise. This, of course, becomes a matter of great concern for the American government. What exactly does he have in mind?
The Hunt for Red October stars Sean Connery (The Untouchables) as Captain Ramius, the commander of the Red October, a nuclear-powered sub with an added feature, a caterpillar drive that renders it undetectable by sonar. He takes over full command of the vessel after murdering the on-board political officer. He then tells his crew that they are to conduct missile drills off the East Coast of America. His real intention is to defect to the US with some of his officers.
CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Baldwin, Working Girl) is called in to brief US government officials on the Red October and its potential threat to the US. He believes Ramius is planning to defect and poses no threat. Naturally, nobody believes him. The Soviet ambassador (Ackland, Lethal Weapon 2) would have US government officials believe Ramius has gone rogue and is planning a nuclear attack on American soil. The orders are given to locate and sink the Red October before it reaches striking distance.
Ryan, convinced that he’s right, arranges to board the USS Dallas captained by Cmdr. Mancuso (Glenn, The Silence of the Lambs) to try and stop them from sinking Red October. He wants to talk to Ramius first to get his side of the story. Meanwhile, another Soviet sub is sent to intercept and destroy Red October before it falls into the hands of the Americans.
Easily put, The Hunt for Red October is the best submarine movie I’ve ever seen. It’s taut with suspense from start to finish. Not only is it a genuinely gripping political thriller, it’s also an exciting chase picture. The action scenes are very well done. Even now, more than 30 years later, they still look great. The underwater cinematography by Jan de Bont is terrific and the special effects are a total knockout. McTiernan makes effective use of miniatures to depict the underwater action. The finale is particularly thrilling with Red October performing all sorts of tricky maneuvers to avoid the torpedoes being fired at it.
Director John McTiernan really knows how to put on a show. The Hunt for Red October ranks right alongside his other two triumphs, Predator and Die Hard. He keeps things moving at a nice pace, never allowing style to trump substance. It’s an intelligent film that’s still accessible to mass audiences. Writers Larry Ferguson and Donald E. Stewart, in adapting Clancy’s best seller, wisely avoid getting too bogged down with esoteric technical stuff.
It seems like an odd choice casting the late Connery as the Soviet captain, but he manages to pull it off. The man was an amazing actor. His accent is convincing which comes as no surprise. After all, he made you believe he was an Egyptian-Spaniard in Highlander and an Irish cop in The Untouchables, the role that won him an Oscar. Baldwin does a fine job in one of his first starring roles. It’s kind of nostalgic seeing him as a promising young actor with matinee idol looks playing a young CIA guy out in the field for the first time trying to stop WWIII.
One of my favorite actors, Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) plays the Soviet on-board doctor who constantly questions Ramius’ decisions. His Russian accent is a little bit shaky, but he still turns in a great performance. In fact, I’d have to say that the entire cast does a fine job in this movie. And what a cast it is! It also includes Richard Jordan (Dune), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Peter Firth (Lifeforce), Stellan Skarsgard (Ronin), Fred Dalton Thompson (Die Hard 2) and, of course, James Earl Jones (Conan the Barbarian) as CIA director James Greer. He’s another favorite actor of mine. I just love his rich voice and how he always carries himself with dignity. There’s not one bad performance in the bunch, not one.
I must admit I’ve never read The Hunt for Red October, so I can’t really comment on how closely the film adheres to the novel. Sometimes it’s best not to read the book before you see the movie because more often than not, you will be disappointed. I’ve found that to be true of the Stephen King novels that were turned into movies. Having said that, I can’t imagine anyone thinking The Hunt for Red October is a letdown. It’s a great movie that deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. It’s more than that and the effects that make it impressive however.
The Hunt for Red October is one of those rare movies that seem to have adult audiences in mind. The tension doesn’t just lie in the underwater action or on-board intrigue. There’s plenty to be found in the scenes of Soviet and American politicians playing verbal cat-and-mouse. They lie and deceive while keeping in mind that one wrong word or movie could lead to total annihilation. It’s so absolutely fascinating, you don’t even notice the 135-minute running time. This is the kind of movie that I’d like to see more of at the multiplexes, an intelligent political thriller with some kick-ass action scenes. Just one thing, please don’t remake The Hunt for Red October. It’s perfect the way it is.
