In the tradition of DIE HARD and PREDATOR, director John McTiernan presents audiences with yet another techno thriller: THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Sean Connery plays Captain Marko Ramius, a dissatisfied Russian commander who navigates his submarine towards America in an attempt to defect. Soviet intelligence claims that Ramius is a warmonger and that he plans to launch nuclear missiles at the United States. Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), an iconoclastic CIA agent, believes otherwise: American spies have determined that the submarine is powered by a stealth engine. In order to save the "caterpillar drive" and avoid a nuclear incident, Agent Ryan must board the Red October and assist Captain Ramius in its navigation to U.S. waters. Both murky and captivating, the underwater visual and sound effects are reminiscent of DAS BOOT. Once again director McTiernan produces a winning film with a jagged plot, a well acted script, and plenty of explosions.
The role of Captain Marko Ramius was originally to have been played by Klaus Maria Brandauer.
Shot in Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Alaska; Puget Sound in Washington State; Leningrad and Moscow, Russia. Color by Technicolor. Began shooting April 3, 1989. Released in USA March 2, 1990.
Approximate budget $30 million, of which Sean Connery reportedly received $4 million. Tom Clancy received $600,000 for the rights to his novel.
Among the writers who reportedly worked on the script were Robert Garland, David Shaber, and John Milius.
Followed by a sequel, "Patriot Games" (1992), starring Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan.
Available to buy in the UK.
Rated BBFC PG by the British Board of Film Classification.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Widescreen
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
DTS - English
Dolby Digital Stereo - French
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. John McTiernan - Director
Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical
Featurettes - 1. BENEATH THE SURFACE
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Source Writer
Tom Clancy: American novelist, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)
Director of Photography
Jan de Bont: Director of Photography, SPEED (1994)
Review 1:
"...The payoff is electrifying..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.35 04/05/1990
Review 2:
"...An elegy for those dear, dark, terrible days of the cold war....[Connery] makes it look good..."
Source: New York Times
p.C13 03/02/1990
Review 3:
"...There's an amiable smartness to the underwater thriller THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER....The production is clean and effective....The undersea intensity is captured perfectly..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.F1 03/02/1990
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