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Hunt for Red October, The
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Tuesday, 01 December 1998
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title:
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The Hunt for Red October |
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studio:
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Paramount Home Video |
| MPAA rating: |
PG |
| starring: |
Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill |
| release year: |
1990 |
| reviewed by: |
Bill Warren |
Harrison Ford has made such an indelible impression on audiences as Tom
Clancy’s CIA hero Jack Ryan in ‘Patriot Games’ and ‘Clear and Present
Danger’ that it’s easy to forget that the character first made his
screen appearance played by Alec Baldwin in ‘The Hunt for Red October.’
Then again, in ‘Hunt,’ Ryan’s exploits are more
discussed than depicted. The Red October of the title is a prototype
Soviet nuclear sub (the film is set and was made while the USSR still
existed). Her captain, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) wants to defect.
Unfortunately for him, the Russians manage to convince the U.S. Navy
that Ramius instead plans to launch the October’s nuclear missiles.
Only Ryan, an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, is smart
enough to deduce Ramius’ plan and dogged enough to try to aid the wily
captain from afar.
‘The Hunt for Red October’ drips with techno-testosterone, but it is
far heavier on intense conversation than actual action. The premise is
strong and the people are charismatic. However, the film doesn’t
contain the thrill-a-minute visuals that the genre normally
encompasses. The script by Larry Ferguson and Donald Stewart, based on
Clancy’s novel, has characters talking at great length about sonar,
propellers and missile range--all worthy topics under the
circumstances, but after awhile we wish they’d just shut up and get on
with it. It’s a tribute to director John McTiernan and his smart,
gung-ho cast that the movie packs a fair amount of urgency anyway. We
become involved in the game of strategies and counter-strategies to the
extent that we find ourselves rooting for Ryan and Ramius.
The film contains some special effects that are both persuasive and
subtle. Chapter 1 introduces the scale of the Red October with a
handsome shot that shows Connery and Sam Neill (as his first mate) atop
the open bridge of the huge vessel, Chapter 8 contains a relatively
contained, but still impressive helicopter-to-submarine human transfer
and Chapter 10 depicts a striking flare of white against blue as a
torpedo detonates in the deep. It helps that the cinematography is by
Jan De Bont, who has since gone on to become a director in his own
right (‘Speed,’ ‘Twister’).
The sound mix is fine all the way through, from the initial blend of
waves and electronic pinging in Chapter 1 through some playful,
surprisingly powerful acappella singing in Chapter 3, sonic clues in a
tape playback in Chapter 6 and an alarm in Chapter 10 so strident that
it seems to be coming from outside the speakers. One complaint about
the DVD being that for a movie that runs 135 minutes, it would have
been helpful if this film were broken into more than 13 chapters.
‘The Hunt for Red October’ will be compelling for Cold War armchair
strategists and should be diverting for most other viewers. Just
remember that Jack Ryan isn’t as hands-on in this installment as he
later becomes.
| more details |
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sound format:
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English 5.1 Surround; English Dolby Surround; French Dolby Surround |
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aspect ratio(s):
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Original Widescreen Ratio (exact ratio not given) |
| special features: |
Theatrical Trailer; Spanish Subtitles; English Closed Captioning; Chapter Search |
| comments: |
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| reference system |
| DVD player: |
Kenwood DV-403 |
| receiver: |
Kenwood VR-407 |
| main speakers: |
Paradigm Atom |
| center speaker: |
Paradigm CC-170 |
| rear speakers: |
Paradigm ADP-70 |
| subwoofer: |
Paradigm PDR-10 |
| monitor: |
36-inch Sony XBR |
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