 Tagline: Invisible. Silent. Stolen. Based on Tom Clancy's best-seller, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, The Hunt For Red October seethes with high-tech excitement and sweats with the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands. A new, technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin ) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it-because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him, too. The hunt is on! The Hunt For Red October is the best of the Jack Ryan films, and a classic in its own right. With arguably the best performance of Alec Baldwin's career, one of the better efforts from Sean Connery, and an all-star cast performing under the rock-solid direction of John McTiernan, The Hunt For Red October is a seminal submarine movie and one of the finer films to come out of the 1990s. The movie holds up remarkably well to repeat viewings, and is as exciting today as it was in 1990. Paramount brings this wonderful film to Blu-ray with a fine video and audio transfer but, like its predecessor on DVD, fails to impress with a substandard supplemental package. Nevertheless, fans of the movie will want to upgrade for the improved picture and sound quality found on the disc. Cast Notes: Sean Connery (Marko Ramius), Alec Baldwin (Jack Ryan), Scott Glenn (Bart Mancuso), Sam Neill (Captain Vasili Borodin), James Earl Jones (Admiral Greer), Joss Ackland (Andrei Lysenko), Richard Jordan (Jeffrey Pelt), Peter Firth (Ivan Putin), Tim Curry (Dr. Yevgeniy Petrov), Courtney B. Vance (Seaman Jones), Stellan Skarsgård (Captain Viktor Tupolev), Jeffrey Jones (Skip Tyler), Timothy Carhart (Bill Steiner), Larry Ferguson (Chief of the Boat), Fred Dalton Thompson (Admiral Painter). User Comment: Fred M. Hung from New York, NY, 24 February 1999 • It's almost 10 years now but I am still awed by the caliber of the film. McTiernan has made a moderately good book by Clancy into an outstanding political thriller. The complexity of the film is particularly challenging. Clancy plots are notorious for beginning with several different threads that interweave somewhere in the book. Screenwriter Larry Ferguson takes apart those threads and models a film based on dual protagonists, Connery and Baldwin. The myriad of supporting actors (including current TN Sen. Fred Thompson) that appear on screen subsequently all have distinct but nonetheless crucial roles to the plot. Baldwin, in what is and will probably be his career best role ever, shines as the intelligent and patriotic Jack Ryan, a thinking man's hero. Connery lends incredible presence, as usual, to his interpretation of Ramius. A pure masterpiece. Summary: A thinking man's James Bond - One of the best films I've ever seen. User Comment: FlickJunkie-2 from Atlanta, GA, 28 August 2000 • 'Red October' did for modern submarine warfare what 'Das Boot' did for WWII. It took a concept that is inconceivable to most people (living in a boat underwater with people trying to blow you up) and brought it up close and personal. The resulting suspense and excitement for this type of film is always extremely entertaining and this film delivers nicely. Tom Clancy's thrilling novel converts well to the big screen. Clancy is a master of making improbable tales of international intrigue seem plausible. This story of a Soviet sub commander who is trying to defect to the U.S. adds a unique twist to the suspense normally associated with submarine films. John McTiernan, who is building an enormous reputation in the action/adventure genre did a fabulous job as director. This film focused less on the submarine and its crew than its cousin 'Das Boot', and more on the international intrigue angle. McTiernan is very effective in keeping up the pace and giving the viewer riveting suspense as smart torpedos chase subs through the murky deep. As always, Sean Connery was powerful as the defecting captain, determined not to allow this first strike weapon to start a nuclear holocaust. Connery gave his character both a conscience and a ruthless commitment, stopping at nothing to reach his goal. Alec Baldwin turns in one of his better performances as Jack Ryan. Unlike Harrison Ford who made Ryan into an action hero in other Tom Clancy adaptations, Baldwin seemed better cast as the CIA nerd who was thrust into a field situation without any real experience. In this way, I felt he was a better representation of the character as Clancy originally wrote him. This is a highly entertaining and engrossing film that will keep most action and suspense viewers on the edge of their seats. I rated it a 9/10. Summary: A submarine classic. User Comment: Walter Frith from Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA, 22 January 2005 • Because of the intrigue this film offers, the circumstances involved tie up neatly in a very convincing way. Needing all of the variables to fall into place if his defection hopes to be successful, Soviet (although Lithuanian by birth) submarine Captain Ramius (Sean Connery) is a very worthy submarine captain. Never cracking under pressure and carrying out his duty professionally, Ramius is the perfect ally to the west in keeping the balance between the super powers in their military endeavours. Alec Baldwin is good as Jack Ryan. I wish he had stayed on as this character in 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger', because although I like Harrison Ford better as a movie star/actor, Baldwin just seemed better for this role. Too bad he left. Director John McTiernan uses a smooth pace and lets the screenplay speak louder than his role as the man in charge of it all and the film's photography is tense along with the editing and sound. An Oscar winner for sound effects editing, The Hunt for Red October will put a submarine in your living room if you have 5.1. surround sound, it's positively realistic! Summary: The captain of all submarine movies. IMDb Rating (07/24/12): 7.6/10 from 81,205 users
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