The Hunt for Red October

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie - TERRIBLE Transfer!!!
Review: One of THE greatest Sub movies ever filmed has received absolutely shabby treatment from it's recent transfer to DVD. Overall, the DVD menus are fine (though lacking in any sort of comprehensive background material which would be expected with a DVD that carries a label of "Special Edition"). The audio is also fine; however, even that should have received the DTS treatment rather than just the Dolby Digital.

The main crime committed against this film was the horrendous film-to-DVD transfer as it is presented. Frankly, with the sheer graininess and tendencies towards pixelization, I can't help but think that this is a VHS-to-DVD transfer. Not even a pristine VHS tape, but one that has been played daily for over 10 years! The video quality of this transfer is the worst I've seen of any movie in a very long time. Shame on the production company that made this transfer!

This great movie deserved a lot better (Special Edition???) than what it got!

Rating:
Summary: On The Hunt
Review: Based upon the best selling book by Tom Clancy, the film version of The Hunt for Red October, boasts a solid cast and fine direction from John McTiernan. The movie remains one of my favorites from the early 90's.

When a state of the art Russian nuclear submarine, is discovered headed for America's east coast, government officials scramble to determine its motives. Dubbed The Red October, CIA Special Agent Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) is called in by his friend Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) to offer his analysis. It seems that Ryan knows a lot about the Sub's Commander, Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), and as different possibilities are tossed around, Ryan is sure he knows the truth. With the submarine getting closer to the american shorline, time running out, Ryan must convince everyone he is right, in order to prevent a war.

Having also read the book, I was very pleased, with the way the film turned out. The novel is very detailed and has a lot of well thought out characters. For his part, director McTiernan never lets the film stray to far from the book, while at the same time, he mangages to keep the film moving. Even the scenes that have a lot of exposition to relay to the audience, are set up in such a way, as to keep it all very tense and exciting. While Alec Baldwin is no Harrison Ford here (who took over the role of Jack Ryan for Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger), I still think that this movie offers Baldwin's best performance, thus far. He plays Ryan against Connery, who gives yet another great perfomance as Ramius, quite well in their scenes together. The tension and tone of the book translate to the film very nicely and also helps to make The Hunt for Red October time well spent

After releasing the first 3 Jack Ryan films as "movie only" edition DVDs some time ago, Paramount FINALLY wised up, and have given us a few extras to "chew" on, with these latest reissued discs. For The Hunt For Red October, there is an excellent audio commentary track by McTiernan. Like the film itself, he keeps the track lively and infomative-just as he did on both of his Die Hard commentaries. As for the "Beneath the Surface" documentary, highlighting new cast & crew Interviews, I don't know what the studio's definition of "new" is, but Connery's comments looked like they were taped while the film was being shot??? C'mon now guys which is it? New or archived? That gaffe aside--the extra is still worth a look. Theatrical trailers top off the bonus material

All in all, an improved reissue, that comes recommended

Rating:
Summary: Special Edition - 'Bout Time!
Review: I am so glad that Paramount has finally woke up and smelled the successful DVD roses, making some of their classic releases as Special Editions. Hopefully they will get away from the cardboard, barebones approach they've taken so far, and give special treatment to some of their incredible vault collection.

"The Hunt For The Red October" has one of the finest '90's ensemble casts of any film from the decade. This film is a must for all collectors of great drama/action cinema. The pacing, special effects, music, photography by future director Jan de Bont, and acting are all tour de force. My regret is with Alec Baldwin. Flying high on the success of this film, his agent pushed for too much money for subsequent Jack Ryan roles, specifically "Clear and Present Danger". Paramount refused and the offer was made to Ford. Baldwin's career took a nose dive in the toilet. As a result, we only have this one 'true' look at Jack Ryan's persona. I think Harrison Ford is an excellent actor, but he is no Jack Ryan. How different the whole series would have been if Baldwin hadn't been such a stinker. Oh, well... we'll always have Paris.

Rating:
Summary: Effective Clancy adaption
Review: With a few snags, this film successfully compacts Clancy's expansive novel into a tight script. The story has Captain Ramius, a disgruntled Soviet naval commander conspire with his crew to sail their nuclear to sub to the Eastern coast of the USA. Their ship, "Red October" is not only loaded with over two dozen nuclear-armed missiles (probably carrying multiple warheads) but also modified with a revolutionary propulsion system that makes it virtually undetectable. Ramius's intentions aren't immediately clear: as in the novel, we're supposed to think that Ramius is trying to defect, but never losing the nagging doubt implied by the Russians' cover story that Ramius really is a loose cannon intent on starting WWIII.

While Clancy was able to keep our attentions focused away from the ambiguity (by plumping us up with the details of naval warfare, but also with numerous, probably unnecessary sub-plots involving numerous confrontations between Soviet and American ships and planes) the script's streamlined structure leaves nothing to cover the ambiguity up. Though a cool-headed commander, suggesting he really might be out to knock DC, Ramius occasionally confides in Borodin, the October's second in command, and his thoughts only reinforce his benign intentions (Ramius wants to turn his ship over to the west but must do so secretly or the Americans will simply have to return it to the Russians, assuming that neither side has killed him first; the plans require that most of the crew remain unaware of it - but Ramius won't put the crew ashore on the Labrador coast because they'd freeze to death before they could be rescued). Meanwhile, CIA analyst Jack Ryan arrives in Washington with information about Ramius's sub - the Americans know of its existence, but not of its new propulsion system. Unfortunately, the information comes a tad too late - not only had the Red October already sailed by then, but something else happened to cause the Russians to scramble their entire fleet. While the Pentagon is convinced that they're facing WWIII, Ryan hits on the idea that Ryan is defecting. Putting his deathly fear of flying aside to prove his point (and also save Ramius's life, and also help Ramius covertly turn over the Red October), Ryan eventually rendezvous with the Dallas, an American sub that believes it has tracked the Red October. The crew of the Dallas isn't quite happy to snag Ryan (since picking him up requires they temporarily break off the hunt and surface; it also requires they sail at high speed which miraculously never alerts Red October to Dallas's presence); complicating things for both ships is the Konavalov - a Russian attack sub leading the vanguard to find and kill Ramius. The Americans can't fire on Konavalov even to protect Red October (short of declaration of war) and Red October itself is defenseless against the faster attack sub (the Konavalov has speed on its side; the Red October relies on stealth, but is too large and heavy to maneuver once its veil of silence is torn away).

This was still a great film, the last real cold war thriller. It would have been interesting to see Klaus Maria Brandauer as Ramius (I kept imagining him as Ramius when I read the novel in '86) but Connery gives him some power as the singular head of the ship's conspiracy. Sam Neill is miscast as Borodin (Neil looks too imposing to be a second to anybody; he would have been better as Red October's menacing political officer), but Stellan Skaarsgard is peerless as the severe captain of the Konavalov (he would have been great as Ramius himself). Ryan looks too capable as Jack Ryan - having him fly out to aircraft carriers in the middle of a winter squall or jump off a helicopter once the script has informed us of the physical and emotional scars he suffered years earlier as a marine. Scott Glenn is perfect as Dallas's crusty commander. If the film has one flaw, it overlooks the Americans' efforts to snag the subs from under the Soviets' noses (James Earle Jones and Jefferey Jones appear out of nowhere, just to remind us that everything is going as planned) while the Russians stumble around in vain. Lacking a compelling villain (the Konavalov only appears twice in the flick) robs the film's climax of power, even though it seamlessly weaves two incidents that happened separately in the book (the shootout in the missile compartment and the submarine dogfight w/Konavalov). The computer special effects elevate THFRO over those "Crimson Tide" (which used subscale models underwater) and Basil Poledouris's score is evocative of the end of the cold war (a chorale dirge either for the CCCP or for the legions Americans and Soviets who silently disappeared fighting the cold war).

CLANCY trivia: part of the Yankee's plot to sneak Ramius past the Russians involves a simulated attack by the guided missile frigate "Reuben James", a real ship that also "appeared" in "Red Storm Rising", Clancy's follow-up novel to "Red October".

Rating:
Summary: A must have for any Submarine enthusiast!
Review: As a former submariner I do recommend this great movie!

I did notice a few "errors" (more on the technical side) through some of the scenes of the movie, but I always expect that... after all submarines are supposed to be a bit secretive, aren't they?

The plot is very interesting and I do compare it with some historical events - close calls in the 70's and 80's with some Russian subs close to the continental US... who knows? Maybe Clancy got his idea from those events!

If you like naval history, submarines, and good action flicks, you're in for a treat with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Widescreen TV owners won't be 100% happy
Review: This is a great movie and I always find myself drawn into it if I find it on tv.

However, be forewarned that if you own a widescreen tv, this DVD is in LETTERBOX format and not ANAMORPHIC. What does that mean? It means that you will get the widescreen bars at the top and bottom of the screen even on a widescreen. The anamorphic kind adapts to your screen size. Why they would make letterbox DVDs still, I do not know.

Rating:
Summary: Needs more bonus Features..
Review: Paramount put this DVD together at a time when they made them and shipped them out to the video market very quickly, as a result aside from the movie and the theater trailer, there are not many extra DVD bonus features on this. Since this movie was a box office success, it should have a better DVD set to go with it. Like maybe with Paramount is doing with the Star Trek movies now.

Re-releaseing The Hunt For Red October as a two disk set, with the second disk being the added bonus features added. Like having a behind the scenes featurette with interviews with the cast and crew on how the movie was made. A interview with tom Clancy with his thoughts on how well the movie adapted his book, and a film that talks a bit more about the submarines that were used for the movie. I'm sure it would make for great DVD viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Over and Over
Review: I have seen over 2000 movies and over 500 DVDs and this is one that I own and keep watching many times over. About every six months we watch it again, although we have probably seen it fifteen times already. The acting is great (of course Connery is great, but I also think Baldwin is the best Jack Ryan), the shots are great, the effects are great, the transfer to DVD is great. This movie needs little else to support it.

Rating:
Summary: A great submarine film, comrades
Review: Life on a submarine is cramped, dull, and tough. In a film, submarines can either make for a dull film or a great film. This is one of the great ones.

The characters are fairly well developed. There are numerous stars in here: Sean Connery (of course), who plays the best role in the film, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Sam Niel (my favourite!), Tim Curry, and some others.

But the best part of the film is in its storyline. It is a basic story but with a suspenseful and interesting plot.

I guess that's really all I can say about this film. There's no specific thing that I like about this film; it's just good.

Rating:
Summary: Out To Defect, Or Out To Launch?
Review: Even now, nearly thirteen years after it was first released, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER remains one of the most gripping and suspenseful action movies of all times. Thanks to excellent source material from Tom Clancy, a taut and tension-filled plot, excellent acting, andbrilliant action sequences that don't involve much in the way of violence, RED OCTOBER retains its place in the action film pantheon.

Sean Connery portrays Captain Marko Ramius, the commander of the Soviet Union's newest nuclear sub, the Red October (named for the October 1917 revolution in Russia that ushered in Communism). The Soviet government and, initially Connery, want to show off their new sub and its nearly-silent propulsion system that would render it undetectable to American sonar. But Connery has something else in mind. He wants to defect.

Alec Baldwin is CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the man who is forced into figuring out not only the reasons for the Red October's prominence but also the nearly one hundred Soviet vessels that are in hot pursuit of the sub. He too comes to believe that Connery's real intention is to defect. But the Soviets, in an elaborate rouse to stop Connery from doing so, float a cover story saying that the man has gone insane and is preparing to fire his missiles at the United States. The result is a gut-grabbing game of cat and mouse underneath the North Atlantic, as Baldwin tries mightily to head off World War III.

Baldwin (in his only appearance as Jack Ryan) and Connery do excellent work under the top-notch direction of John McTiernan (DIE HARD; PREDATOR); and the superb screenplay by Larry Ferguson (THE PRESIDIO) and Donald Stewart (MISSING) gives them a lot to work with. Plenty of memorable lines are to be had from that screenplay, as well as brilliant support from a lot of fine actors--James Earl Jones (matchless as usual); Scott Glenn; Sam Neill (as Connery's second-in-command); Richard Jordan; Jeffrey Jones; and Joss Ackland. The underwater action scenes, particularly in the sweat-inducing finale, are brilliantly done by McTiernan; and Basil Pouledoris provides a brilliant score.

A brilliantly-constructed Cold War thriller that contains a bit of needling on both American and Russian stereotypes ("The Russians don't take a dump without a plan")("We get some...buckaroo"), THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is not merely an entertaining film, but a great one all the way around.