Review of Crimson Tide (1995) by Tonypolito — 15 Aug 2010

An unrealistic underwater drama where Sub Captain Gene Hackman and Executive Officer Denzel Washington spend nearly 2 hours dealing each other an endless series of mutinies over whether to launch the sub's nukes at a Russian missile installation commandeered by rebels. Hackman's holding the official unambiguous order; Denzel wants confirmation but communications is down.

Sub films are almost always dramatic viewing since there's easy plot devices such as flooding, sealing off of compartments leaving decent folk to drown, nosediving straight into hull-crushing depths, torpedoes vs. countermeasure devices, ad nauseum.

And, not surprisingly, the strong deliveries by Hackman and Denzel further float the viewer along.

All that, however, doesn't supercede the boatload of plotholes onboard. Both officers have to turn their launch keys for a go; Denzel never stashes/hides his from Hackman; Hackman idiotically leaves his console-dangling so the mutineers can boost it.

Denzel's concerned the strike, if uncalled for, will provoke a full-on Russian attack on America - even though the Russians would know full well it was intended only against the rebels.

And the launch is a no-go unless launch control flunkie Mortensen coughs up the combo to his own MasterLock, that apparently being standard-issue high-security equipment on nuclear-armed subs. Just exactly who would write that procedure, making both officers impotent in wartime? What, no procedure/plan if Mr. MasterLock is killed in action? Why isn't the US doing whatever it takes to stop/contact the sub?

And fueling the Russian missiles takes 90 minutes. Really? Retaliatory nukes, needles on empty? And just how long does it take to get liquid oxygen into a missile anyway? Long enough to make sure this film ran a full two hours in theaters, apparently.

RECOMMENDATION: Watchable, but not in the least believable.