The Hunt for Red October (1990) (PG)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones
Daddy Says:
From the director of such action movies as Die Hard and Predator, comes a more cerebral action/adventure film. The Hunt for Red October tells the story of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), a dissatisfied Russian commander who navigates his submarine towards America in an attempt to defect. He is chased by the entire Russian fleet, trying to stop him from defecting, and, after telling the Americans that the Captain is going to launch the subs weapons at them, by them as well. Seems everyone thinks they need to take him out, everyone except Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) who is sure he knows whats really going on with the Russian Captain and his brand new sub. And what a sub it is: as big as an aircraft carrier, with a new type of propulsion system that allows it to run silently, undetectable to sonar.
I was expecting the same type of submarine adventures I've been watching for years. In my mind, you couldn't have a good submarine movie without a scene where the sub sinks slowly to the bottom while the creaks and groans of the hull threaten to implode the ship at any time. I'm glad to say that The Hunt for Red October surprised me, by not having that scene, and by replacing it with scenes which were just as suspenseful, yet I'd never seen them done before in an underwater movie.
The acting was top notch, the script had me guessing as to where it was heading next, the direction of the film was first rate. I guess if I had to say something negative, it's that at two hours and fifteen minutes it felt just a tad bit too long. The problem with the Americans not speaking Russian, and vice versa, was also pretty much overlooked during the big climax near the end, but I can overlook these minor complaints. This was very well done.
Rating for The Hunt for Red October: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
The Hunt for Red October took me to a place I never thought it would take me. I had pictured this movie to be just another submarine movie which is usually claustrophobic and just not my cup of tea. But this one was different. It took me into the minds of both sides of the war that helped me associate with all of the characters.
Speaking of characters, I really liked the acting in Red October. I could understand what every character wanted and what they were thinking, and they still left some things a mystery. I really liked how the movie lead you on to believe a character to be something and then showed you that they really were opposite. It really teaches you to not judge a book by the cover.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the scenery. Yes most of it was underwater, but the parts that weren't were really breathtaking. For instance, at one point they send the sub. up out of the water really fast and it makes a huge wave. It really reminded me of a whale jumping out of the ocean. Even the parts under the water were amazing. The lighting was great. I loved how the light hit the actors just right to give them an eeriness to the scene.
I highly suggest this movie to anyone who likes mystery/adventure movies. They should also like dialogue, because it doesn't have a lot of action; mostly suspense. I love the suspense.
Rating for The Hunt for Red October: ****.
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones
Daddy Says:
From the director of such action movies as Die Hard and Predator, comes a more cerebral action/adventure film. The Hunt for Red October tells the story of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), a dissatisfied Russian commander who navigates his submarine towards America in an attempt to defect. He is chased by the entire Russian fleet, trying to stop him from defecting, and, after telling the Americans that the Captain is going to launch the subs weapons at them, by them as well. Seems everyone thinks they need to take him out, everyone except Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) who is sure he knows whats really going on with the Russian Captain and his brand new sub. And what a sub it is: as big as an aircraft carrier, with a new type of propulsion system that allows it to run silently, undetectable to sonar.
I was expecting the same type of submarine adventures I've been watching for years. In my mind, you couldn't have a good submarine movie without a scene where the sub sinks slowly to the bottom while the creaks and groans of the hull threaten to implode the ship at any time. I'm glad to say that The Hunt for Red October surprised me, by not having that scene, and by replacing it with scenes which were just as suspenseful, yet I'd never seen them done before in an underwater movie.
The acting was top notch, the script had me guessing as to where it was heading next, the direction of the film was first rate. I guess if I had to say something negative, it's that at two hours and fifteen minutes it felt just a tad bit too long. The problem with the Americans not speaking Russian, and vice versa, was also pretty much overlooked during the big climax near the end, but I can overlook these minor complaints. This was very well done.
Rating for The Hunt for Red October: ****3/4.
Daughter Says:
The Hunt for Red October took me to a place I never thought it would take me. I had pictured this movie to be just another submarine movie which is usually claustrophobic and just not my cup of tea. But this one was different. It took me into the minds of both sides of the war that helped me associate with all of the characters.
Speaking of characters, I really liked the acting in Red October. I could understand what every character wanted and what they were thinking, and they still left some things a mystery. I really liked how the movie lead you on to believe a character to be something and then showed you that they really were opposite. It really teaches you to not judge a book by the cover.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the scenery. Yes most of it was underwater, but the parts that weren't were really breathtaking. For instance, at one point they send the sub. up out of the water really fast and it makes a huge wave. It really reminded me of a whale jumping out of the ocean. Even the parts under the water were amazing. The lighting was great. I loved how the light hit the actors just right to give them an eeriness to the scene.
I highly suggest this movie to anyone who likes mystery/adventure movies. They should also like dialogue, because it doesn't have a lot of action; mostly suspense. I love the suspense.
Rating for The Hunt for Red October: ****.
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