The Hunt For Red October

I've long had an affinity for the various Jack Ryan films over the years, adapted from the novels of Tom Clancy, some more closely than others. With the upcoming Amazon Prime series centered on the character, I thought it might be fun to take a look at Mr. Ryan's varied cinematic incarnations. I'm starting at the beginning with what also happened to be my first introduction to the character as well, The Hunt for Red October. 

In 1984, Soviet Submarine Captain Marco Ramius (played by Sean Connery) has been selected to command a new submarine called the Red October, a sub outfitted with a "caterpillar drive" a way for the sub to move stealthily across oceans without being picked up on passive sonar. Ramius is tasked with taking the sub out with her crew to perform test exercises alongside another submarine captained by Captain Tupolev (played by Stellan Skarsgaard). Once underway, Ramius swaps out their orders with false orders that they are to sail to the East Coast of America to conduct missile drills. Meanwhile, CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (played by Alec Baldwin) catches wind of the existence of the Red October and briefs United States government officials on the uniqueness of the sub as well as the threat it poses, especially when satellite images show the Russian fleet leaving and sailing towards America, suggesting a possible attack by a renegade Soviet Captain. However, Ryan has a different theory as he suspects that Ramius, who has no strong ties to the Soviet Union, may be intending to defect to the United States. Ryan is ordered to travel to the Atlantic to try and prove his hypothesis, rendezvousing with the USS Dallas, a U.S submarine captained by Bart Mancuso (played by Scott Glenn), whose sonar operator Jones (played by Courtney B. Vance) may have stumbled upon the Red October. 

The film was directed by John McTiernan from a script by Larry Ferguson and Donald E. Stewart. Together they crafted an engaging thriller that was also a fairly faithful adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel. The film has a unique approach of brains over brawn, as each side strategically makes their moves throughout as each party nears their goal, playing a riveting game of cat and mouse with one another. The fact that McTiernan and his scriptwriters can make so many scenes of people analyzing, thinking and talking absolutely riveting is impressive in itself. It's not to say there aren't action sequences as there are several, including Ryan having to try and get from a helicopter to the USS Dallas in the middle of the Ocean or the climactic showdown between subs at the end. But there are also fascinating looks into the operation of the subs and how they navigate underwater, including a tense scene of Ramius and his crew navigating an undersea canyon. 

The cast for the film is top-notch, led by Sean Connery who gives a such a compelling performance as Ramius you almost forget he's playing a Russian with his same Scottish accent. In all seriousness though, his performance is great in the film as his character's true motivations are revealed throughout the film. On the other side of the coin, we have Alec Baldwin in his one outing in the role of Jack Ryan who does a great job of conveying a character who is for the most part more comfortable on solid ground and behind a desk than in the field, which was something that always appealed to me about the character and Baldwin portrays that wonderfully throughout the film, especially in the climax of the film as he finds himself in the thick of the action. James Earl Jones has a great supporting role as Vice Admiral James Greer, who is the Deputy Director of the CIA, adding his usual gravitas to the role. Scott Glenn has a great turn as the Captain of the USS Dallas Bart Mancuso, who is always soft spoken and even keel which I thought was a nice touch and added a realism to his performance that Glenn often gives in his performances. Sam Neill gives a memorable turn as the Executive Officer of the Red October. And of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that Tim Curry has a supporting role as the ship doctor on the Red October, one of the first crew members to voice suspicions about what Ramius is really up to. Curry brings his usual unique presence to every scene he's in and I love it, but then again I am a big Tim Curry fan period.

The Hunt For Red October has long been a favorite of mine, as well as my family, pretty much since it came out. It was one that both my parents really liked so I have seen it many, many times. It's one I appreciate more as I got older and better understood everything that was happening in the film (in my younger years, I gravitated more towards Patriot Games, the film that follows this one). But as I've gotten older, I think my favorite has changed to this one. It's a bit smarter and a bit more unique in it's plotting. It values character over action and because of that the more suspenseful parts work all the better. It's an expertly made thriller with a fantastic cast to back it up and you can't ask for much more than that.