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
Letterbox - 1.85
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English
Dolby Surround - French
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Selection
Interactive Menus
Stars
Sean Connery: Oscar winning Scottish actor,
Alec Baldwin: American Actor, BEETLEJUICE (1988)
Scott Glenn: Actor, JOURNEY TO THE END OF NIGHT, W.
James Earl Jones: Actor/Voice
Sam Neill: Australian actor, JURASSIC PARK, EVENT HORIZON
Tim Curry: British Actor/Singer, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)
Joss Ackland: British Actor
Timothy Carhart: Supporting Actor
Director
John McTiernan: Director/Producer
Producer
Mace Neufeld: Producer/Executive
Screenwriter
Larry Ferguson: American Screenwriter
Robert Garland: Screenwriter/Producer
John Milius: Rightwing (and underrated) screenwriter/director
David Shaber: Screenwriter
Donald Stewart:
Composer
Basil Poledouris: Composer
Editor
Dennis Virkler: Editor, CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (2004)
John Wright: Editor, BROKEN ARROW (1996)
Peter Zinner: Oscar winning American Editor/Director, THE DEER HUNTER
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:
"...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
Review 2:
"...The payoff is electrifying..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.35 04/05/1990
Review 3:
"...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
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