REVIEW: The Hunt for Red October (Released in 1990) [30th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: John McTiernan

PRODUCER: Mace Neufield

WRITERS: Larry Ferguson & Donald E. Stewart, (based on the novel by Tom Clancy)

PERFORMERS: Sean Connery Alec Baldwin Joss Ackland Tim Curry Peter Firth Scott Glenn

James Earl Jones Jeffrey Jones Richard Jordan Sam Neill Stellan Skarsgard Fred Dalton Thompson

Courtney B. Vance

I'm usually up for any spy thriller that thrills me, excites me or keeps me guessing till the end, but after watching this I made more than an exception. I saw this long ago while I was still in my young adult years and ever since then, it has held a certain impact on me. Having a stellar cast and the direction of John McTiernan, formerly of 'Predator' & 'Die Hard', inspiration from the Tom Clancy novel itself there's really only one thing to ask: How much more could you ever ask for? For it's 30th Anniversary, this is the following review of the first of the Jack Ryan stories: The Hunt for Red October.

The movie stars Sean Connery as a Russian Submarine Commander with an agenda to defect from the Soviet Union to the United States aboard his most advanced submarine and CIA analyst Jack Ryan, played by Alec Baldwin, is dispatched to confirm his intentions before an all out war between the U.S. and S.U. gets out of hand. Connery's performance was just phenomenal, having grown up watching his earlier work in the James Bond films from the 60's just proves how capable he is in films like this. Not only does he play a Russian commander with elegance, but also with 100% believability. You completely buy into his character and when he meets Baldwin's Ryan character, the chemistry is right there. Baldwin, on the other hand, is another important contribution to the story as he plays the hero of the story. His part is also met with so much realism that you forget he's playing a fictional character. Whenever you see him in peril, you route for him all the way till the end. The title may not mention his character's name, but it doesn't have to because it isn't about him, but about the worldwide search of a highly advance submarine ship on a mission to a new home. The supporting characters (on the Red October crew) from Sam Neill to Tim Curry are also as great as they come, Neill's support as a second-in command officer is just so hard to turn away from that you think this is him preparing for what would become his well known part in another novel adapted film that would become one of the most innovative films of all time from one of the most influential filmmakers of our generation. Tim Curry as usual is also great and it's good to see him in one of his earlier roles as well (post The Rocky Horror Picture Show), playing a medical officer who shows concern for the crew's safety, it's easy to see what a crucial part he plays as Connery defects. He asks to hold on to the additional key that another authorized personnel usually has and Connery just keeps both keys for himself. That was always mystifying to me because there's a reason why two officers instead of one has two keys to operate missile attacks.

I don't know much about military procedures especially when it comes to submarines, but this really kept my attention. When the action started I thought I was looking at an underwater adventure of huge porportions. Watching the Red October dodge those missile attacks and maneuver around rocks was just spectacular. I completely lost myself in this film and almost halfway through the beginning, I knew something major was going to happen. One that would set the tone for the rest of the movie and from there, take me on a race across the seas and beyond. Everything was practical, non CGI and on top of that original. Mostly the ensemble cast was what kept me invested, everyone from Connery to Baldwin to Jones, Neill, Curry and even Courtney B. Vance were all impressive in their roles. I remember watching on YouTube both Jones and Vance in the play "Fences" and Jones in his character, explains the things he has to do to provide for his son played by Vance and Jones is much more commanding dramatically speaking in that scene while Denzel Washington's take was considered comedic on a dramatic level, but still a good one nevertheless. Everything Jones does is either serious or comedic and in this one he's serious and stern at the same time as he steals every scene he's in. The music is just patriotic in all it's epicness, the writing is fantastic to the point where you just can't lose sight of keeping track of what's happening whether you read the book or not... even though the book is always better than the film. With the additional throw-in of political interest you think automatically 'what would I do in that situation?' With every person's agenda comes great culmination, how so? Because in these scenarios, everyone has a different way on going about with these things. Like Ryan's theory on Ramius' plans to defect, or having a unknown traitor on board the ship while the U.S. and Union are about to clash with each other because of this or that thinking it will solve whatever problems are going on at the moment. It goes to show that war is always started for the wrong or mysterious reasons. And behind every war about to start lies one or two people looking to stop it from ever happening and in doing so, going to war with the wrong country. The direction of John McTiernan is also a major thing that makes this worth watching and if you remember his earlier films you'll know what I mean. Unlike commandos against an alien warrior hunter or a NYPD cop against German crooks in a L.A. high rise building, this is taken to a whole new level of action and excitement within those standards in the world of espionage placed within the ranks of the CIA, the Russian Soviet Union and the U.S. Navy. There's always so much detail in these stories of military escapades that they make you want to learn more about how they are and they operate.

The Hunt for Red October wasn't just another film, it was clearly a great film. When I recently watched it for the first time in a while, I felt I was learning something new about military procedures. Having not been a military person myself, just seeing how they are within gives me an insight of what kind of people they are and how they are able to do the things they do. There are several submarines I believe, underwater all over the world and each one of them represents a certain country doing something that even we the people don't know about. Even now, could be waiting for the next time to attack or ally with the nearest party and political ties is trying to get involved in the mix thinking it'll solve this or that problem. I'm not one to judge on that, but I would certainly not recommend on under estimating the wrong country, especially the Russians because they are much more equipped than we think, I believe. All in all, if you haven't seen this film, check it out you will not be dissapointed. Happy 30th Anniversary to the first entry of the Jack Ryan series! #filmanniversary #anniversaryseries #filmsof1990 #THFRO30 #JackRyanseries #30thanniversary