La caza al Octubre Rojo

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 the DVD 5.1. surround sound. It's positively realistic!

The best techno-thriller ever made, and the best of the Tom Clancy adapted-novel movies, 'The Hunt For Red October' is nearly perfect.

Director John McTiernan successfully translates Tom Clancy's first book to the screen, taking his 'Die Hard' expertise to an even higher level of film art, and we get the privilege of climbing aboard a ride that begs to be ridden over and over again. McTiernan is (arguably) the all-time best action-thriller director, and this is his overall finest film.

Red October is full of memorable scenes and lines, from the opening scenes to the closing credits.

The cast is headlined by Sean Connery in one of his best and most memorable film roles.

Alec Baldwin sails on Connery's wake, and similarly puts forth one of his best roles in film - no small feat is following in Harrison Fords footsteps as the original big screen Jack Ryan. Baldwin pulls it off, creating his own younger version of Jack Ryan that fits this story well.

James Earl Jones is back in the role he seems born to play of Retired Vice Admiral / CIA Deputy Director James Greer - Hard to imagine anyone else in the part.

Scott Glenn, Sam Neil, Courtney Vance, Richard Jordan and Fred Thompson all superb in critical supporting roles. If the entire ensemble cast didn't work synergestically in the close quarters setting inherent in submarines (most of the scenes were actually filmed aboard a sub), the movie would have sunk... It sailed perfectly, and bravo to all👏!

Editing at large builds tension and keeps one on the edge-of-their-seat - both required elements in good thrillers. The superb sound editing sets a high bar for action-thrillers, and deserved its Oscar.

Red October is right up there at the pinnacle of action-thrillers (along with McTiernan's Die Hard) - a true hall-of-fame action-thriller - this film adds the "thinking-man" element missing in Die Hard, resulting in more adult-palatable entertainment, and moves Red October to the top of the action-thriller genre list.

Surely most reading this review have seen 'The Hunt For Red October' already, and can attest to its high entertainment-value...I envy those who are about to see it for the first time - climb aboard and enjoy the ride!

Don't get me wrong, this is actually a very good movie. And this is coming from a 16 year old schoolgirl! It is fast paced, not too long, and while the story is a bit confusing sometimes, it is one of the few movies that maintains our attention all the way through. Director John McTiernon ensures that the tension rarely slips, and is fairly faithful to the novel, which needs a great deal of understanding especially in the descriptions of the submarines. Though some of the characters especially Dr Petrov have a more significant role in the book. Speaking of the character, many said that 43-year old Tim Curry of Clue fame, looked young and that it was insane casting. He was only in 15 minutes of the movie, but he is so important, and I was impressed by the depth of Curry's performance, it's different to any other role he's played, and how the character turned out in general. As well as the submarine and the odd visuals, the music was phenomenal as well as the look of the film and the sound, with a conveniently Russian feel to it. It was also very musical with what was going on. The acting is what holds the film together, with a charismatic performance from Sean Connery,(in one of his best post-Bond roles) and a career best from Alec Baldwin. Sam Neill also gives a moving performance, as well as the ever-excellent James Earl Jones, who is in my sister's favourite film the Lion King. I recommend this movie highly, if you're a fan of Tom Clancy. I'm not, but I enjoyed it, because I like films that are tense and I like a lot of the actors in the film. 8.5/10. Bethany Cox

"The Hunt for Red October" is taken off of military-expert Tom Clancy's gripping novel. Tom Clancy has a knack for the inner-psyche of our fears. He doesn't openly thrill us, but rather opens our minds to the potential hazards in the US government. Most government/military thrillers skim the surface and gather us a few good things to make us go, "Whoo," but Tom Clancy's books make us fall over in amazement. The man has an incredible knowledge of the government and its subsidaries, and his novels show this.

His film adaptations normally make good. All four are at least good, and one of them, "The Hunt for Red October," is taut, tense, and powerfully moving. The plot of the film is fictional, but it is right out of the headlines.

It is about a submarine, a Russian, and an American. It sounds like the setup for a bar-joke, but it's not. The Russian man is named Ramius (Sean Connery), who, along with his crew, takes a Soviet submarine out to the North Atlantic ocean. The sub is the best-of-the-best, with an all-new propolsion system (it's faster than other submarines), and uses advanced techniques to literally disappear off radar.

After a few days out at sea, the submarine vanishes off radar, and the Russians, frantic, tell the American government that Ramius has taken the sub to America's mainland to launch a missile attack. However, CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) thinks otherwise. He believes Ramius is defecting to the States along with his crew. Further, he believes the Russians don't want to admit this for fear of losing their best submarine.

The film is directed by John McTiernan, who brought us "Predator," "Die Hard," "The Thomas Crown Affair" (remake) and "Die Hard with a Vengeance." All of the preceding films are very good, most of them great, and "The Hunt for Red October" qualifies as "very good."

Sean Connery gives a commanding performance as the leading character, Ramius. His second-hand-man is played by Sam Neil, faking a Russian accent very badly. But Neil is lovable in his role, despite having the worst Russian accent ever. Tim Curry joins along for the ride on the misfortuned sub as well, and Alec Baldwin gives his best performance as Jack Ryan.

As much as I don't like to admit it, Harrison Ford isn't the ideal Jack Ryan for me. He differs too much from the character in the novel. Neither Ben Affleck nor Alec Baldwin take the cake, either. But if you look past the book persona, you will enjoy the performances in all the films much more.

I don't tend to like military thrillers most of the time. Most likely because they are put together sloppily on the whole. But "The Hunt for Red October" isn't sloppy, careless, nor boring. It's thrilling, exciting, and entertaining.

But the book is better.

4/5 stars -

John Ulmer

This movie never fails to entertain me. Smartly directed, well written, and acted it always brings a fresh newness no matter how many times I've seen it. It could have been the beginning of a franchise for Alec Baldwin. He is very much centered and controlled. Sean Connery is also standout.

Could recommend this to anyone without hesitation. On DVD it's a visual feast. Just a great looking movie. Wish that all the other Clancy books had been adapted so well.