I've loved this movie since it came out. Orig. had VHS, then DVD until just the other when day my husband bought me the 4K Blu-ray Steel Book that came out almost a year ago now. It's a beautiful movie in 1080p or 4K HDR, even on those old formats too. I have watched it in all the formats in the past just because it's a great movie, action, drama, character development, and it all works. A Tom Clancy submarine movie with Sean Connery, as good as it can get.
The movie is pretty old, I know. But I still love it to watch on a Sunday when you are wasted because Saturday night was a hard party night. :D
Tom Clancy's debut novel The Hunt for Red October is one of my all-time favorite books, and then John McTiernan took it and made one of my favorite thrillers of all time. How about that!?!
Even though it doesn't follow the book to the letter, and actually omits a few things, it doesn't subtract all that much from the suspense and action. The acting is good, the military action is believable and mostly true to real life, and the overall pace is excellent. 2 hours and 15 minutes blast by, and you face the end credits wanting more.
Hands down, one of the best spy/military thrillers ever made!!!
Hell of a good movie that doesn't try to paint one side or the other as the 'bad guy', and as such avoids the usual politics of such premises and pulls off some fairly tense stand-offs at several key moments.
But my absolute favourite part, only noticed on this most recent rewatch is that Stanley is credited as playing himself. A cute little tidbit that I missed so many times watching as a younger man.
The Hunt for Red October is a compelling and exciting Cold War thriller. Based on a Tom Clancy novel, a new Soviet submarine goes rogue on its maiden voyage, taking the Soviet Union and U.S. to the brink of war; however CIA analyst Jack Ryan suspects that the sub’s captain is attempting to defect. The film features an all-star cast that includes Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, and James Earl Jones. Additionally, director John McTiernan does an excellent job at creating an intense and suspenseful tone, which is enhanced by Basil Poledouris’ sweeping and powerful score. Exceptionally well-crafted, The Hunt for Red October is a captivating film that’s steeped in mystery.
A fine reminder that not all Cold War-era period pieces are unabashed feasts of propaganda. Red October certainly paints the Russians in a very secretive light, but such treatment isn't unfair and the Americans on the other side of the ocean are hardly championed as the infallible superheroes they portray in many similar pictures (and Clancy's original book).
Despite a few technical flubs, the tale is plenty smart and generally authentic, but also understandable enough for a layperson to follow. It's not an easy act to merge simplistic storytelling with a complicated plot, but director John McTiernan manages to deliver both without shortchanging either. An excellent sense of timing and steady, effective pace are most responsible for that success; though a great majority of the film is lost to dialog, the action is spaced out enough to keep the audience comfortably on its toes.
Sean Connery is a tough sell as the Russian captain at the center of the storm, particularly as he makes no effort to hide his Scottish accent, but his charisma and conviction still manage to transform a fairly passive character into a stern, take-no-excuses captain with a pointed political message. Alec Baldwin's cautious, vanilla performance as famed protagonist Jack Ryan is less impressive, but serviceable.
If you like the movie, do yourself a favor and read the book someday.
I thought this was going to be a full blown spy action movie. The slow burn suspenseful movie was a surprise. The story is pretty interesting and the acting is good for the most part. It was a little too long and boring at parts. The special effects are a little dated. Still worth a watch.
Saw this years ago, and watched it again recently. For a somewhat dated movie, it's still a fine political thriller. Definitely worth watching.
If one submarine doesn't excite enough - like in Crimson Tide - then the solution surely is hundreds of them. It may well be.
Hund for Red October is a Jack Ryan-lite vehicle and has the strangest change from Russian to a mix of Queen's English and Scottish accents you'll ever witness. Hilariously so.
It's got that McTiernan magic sprinkled throughout. A better thinking man's action director has never plied his trade in Hollywood.
There's a whole lot of events that keep the viewer interested and he does as well with a submarine-based action thriller as I think anyone could.
7/10
ack Ryan's saga is the one I've seen the most and the one I like the most. Good for the actors and the director. How good the effects sound. Besides how I'm playing Seawolf, the thing is about submarines
read the book and then watch the movie. sean connery is a great pick for ramius
An action movie with too much talking, and hardly no action
Not bad but I feel a book probably did this story more justice.
It slow parts stayed slow for too long. I can't help but feel this couldn't possibly happen irl unless the entire crew is retarded.
A Cold War thriller that continues to entertain, largely because it is tightly plotted and directed. You have just to excuse Sean Connery's 'Russian' accent.
The Hunt For Red October is a yearly watch for me. My favorite of the Tom Clancy "Jack Ryan" series. I've even read the book (which is more detailed of course) but anyone who is a sucker for Cold War era movies will certainly have this in their list of favorites. There are so many good characters here. Aside from Sean Connery, I think Scott Glen steals the scenes that he is in and adds a little relief to the tense situations. "That's all right, Mr Ryan. My Morse is so rusty, I could be sending him dimensions on Playmate of the Month." :joy:
The only movie I can think of where the foreign language is acknowledged subtly for few minutes. On the Red October, the officers are speaking Russian, with a subtle zoom in and out, they are suddenly speaking English. The film does not force you to read half the movie, but tells you "these guys are Russian, they are speaking Russian, but for the rest of the story, let's hear it in English."
What really sells this movie for me are the tactics and sub maneuvers. The teams on each boat working together, calmly but firmly. That was the magic that Tom Clancy provided. Realistic scenarios with accurate portrayals of the situations.
While the film is enjoyable and well-made, it doesn't quite measure up to some of the other adaptations of Tom Clancy's novels. In my opinion, the movie could have been better if it had stayed closer to reality. Though I understand that it's based on a novel, a more realistic portrayal could have made the movie even more captivating. Nevertheless, the movie delivers on suspense and action, and Connery's performance is undoubtedly one of the highlights.
One of my absolutely favourite movies since the first time I've watched it in the cinema 30 years ago. Great character-interaction, great suspense without much action. Love Connery's Ramius, and I have to say Baldwin's Ryan fits in perfectly... just imagine Ford's Ryan here, not sure the characters Ramius, Ryan and Mancuso would have worked together as well as they do here (and I love Harrison Ford).
Still, this is the way a political thriller has to be done.
I just don't understand why the cook want to sacrifice himself to sink the submarine.
Shout by FinFanBlockedParent2017-07-01T17:24:11Z
After watching this back then I bought the book and became and instant Clancy fan.
Althought the movies in general can´t reach up to the books because those are too complex there are some really good ones. Red October definately belongs into that category. It´s a classic cold war thriller with lots of suspension. Highly entertaining with great actors. Joh McTiernan did a great job of mixing the elements together.
But as mentioned I recommend checking out Clancys books if you like this kind of storys. Especially the early ones of which a lot of the movies are based on are great.