The Hunt for Red October (1990) This is a classic espionage thriller. It stars Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill. The film is based on Tom Clancy's 1984 bestselling novel of the same name. The film grossed $200,512,643 worldwide. It was well received by critics and audiences gave the film an average grade of A. The Hunt for Red October was nominated and won several awards in 1991. The film was also nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills. The Jack Ryan character was the first real attempt at an American equivalent to a James Bond. Later the advent of the Jason Bourne movies took on that function. Unlike Bourne or some versions of Bond, Ryan is more of a fish out of water. He is an analyst thrust into the action. The difference from the others is his mind is his weapon in this film. This is a solid psychological thriller, that hold up considerably, despite our knowledge of the subsequent films.

SPOILER: This is one of the best submarine and suspense films I have seen; however, for me "Das Boot" is in another class, for several reasons: It is set during wartime. Better yet, I always watch it in spoken German, with English subtitles . It makes for a better film. Hearing A Scottish accent from a Russian submarine captain is definitely a negative. Moreover, Sam Neill is Scottish as well, although his accent is not as strong as Connery's.I understand the language change, which Director John McTiernan gave credit where it was due. He said he got the idea from "Judgement at Nuremberg" (1961). It is done exactly the same way as it is done in this film - in the middle of the conversation between Ramius (Sean Connery) and Putin (Peter Firth) in Ramius' cabin (quite clever). I had a couple of beefs with this film: (they are Spoilers, I noted at the beginning)). One is after the Americans board the Red October: Jonesy, the sonar man on the USS Dallas gives all his ranges in yards, not meters, which is what is displayed and used aboard Russian ships (and the rest of the world, besides the UK and the US). That is a big goof. The other are the special effects, which (for me) are not that fantastic. Sure, when this film was made, they were not capable to what is seen only a decade later, and especially today. That is why it will never hold a candle to "Das Boot". It has hardly any real FX to speak of, and which makes the film much better. Director Wolfgang Peterson insisted on building an exact, full size replica of a U-boat. The cramped quarters, the crew running to the front of the ship for faster crash dives, a depth gauge which goes beyond crush depth, etc. add enourmously to the tension.Coincidentally, years later, Peterson directs "Air Force One" with the US President played by Harrison Ford (who plays "Jack Ryan" in 2 different films, right after Alec Baldwin in "Hunt for Red October".

'The Hunt for Red October' is a solid production all round. The cast is excellent, the script and writing very good, the whole film is constructed in a very effective way and it has no problem building suspense. It's one of those films that is very difficult to fault, yet doesn't leave much of an impression. Solid and effective but quite unremarkable and dare I say forgettable.It's a strange one when you sit through a film, seemingly enjoying it in the moment, only to feel underwhelmed on reflection. The only explanation I can think of for why I feel that way about 'The Hunt for Red October' is the somewhat bloated running time. While the film is effectively suspenseful and never in danger of becoming boring, maybe it would have been more viewer friendly if it hadn't exceeded the two hour mark.

This is a totally serviceable 90s war drama that I can't imagine ever rushing to revisit. Baldwin is a great Jack Ryan, playing a much more down-to-earth, charismatic hero than Ford's portrayal. McTiernan brings his solid, underrated direction, even if the story's pacing and tone never quite reaches Die Hard heights.