Review of The Hunt for Red October (1990) by Johnathon W — 17 Sep 2018
Superbly crafted political thriller, thanks to a smart script, taunt direction by McTiernan and an excellent cast. Connery is superb as Cap. Ramius, giving real gravitas to the role, playing an experienced navy commander who has grown tired of the Cold War, while Baldwin is still the best Jack Ryan to date, giving the perfect mix of intelligence and everyman to the role.
Behind the camera, John McTieran crafts a slick, intelligent thriller that perfectly adapts the Tom Clancy novel, and quite frankly might be better. The subplot of only Ryan believing Ramius is trying to defect adds an extra level of tension, along with agency for Ryan, while the political scenes give a nice mix of levity and humor.
The action scenes are first rate and nail-biting, especially in the innovative way they are done with Cold War politics (for example, an American sub can't fire on a Russian one since they are not technically at war.
The best adaptation of a Tom Clancy novel and best Cold war thriller ever made.
This review of The Hunt for Red October (1990) was written by Johnathon W on 17 Sep 2018.
The Hunt for Red October has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
