The Hunt for Red October

Released in 1990, and based on a Tom Clancy book of the same name, The Hunt for Red October is a Cold War thriller that features a pretty impressive cast. I already briefly mentioned this film in one of my earliest blog entries 10 Sean Connery Movies Everyone Should See, and it currently holds a spot on My Top 100 Favorite Films list but, I've never given it its own dedicated post.

The story centers on a well-respected Soviet submarine captain named Marko Ramius (played by Sean Connery). Ramius has been tasked with taking the newest Soviet sub, the 'Red October', out to sea for some training exercises. However, Ramius murders the ships political officer and gives the crew false orders to head toward the East coast of the United States. This change of plans alarms both the U.S. and the Soviet government, as neither side wants a rogue captain with an armed nuclear submarine out in the ocean. Thus the hunt for the Red October is on. The one additional wrinkle in the scenario is that the Red October is equipped with a state-of-the-art "caterpillar drive" which makes it virtually undetectable to sonar. While both sides see Ramius as a threat, CIA analyst Jack Ryan (played by Alec Baldwin) is convinced that Ramius wants to defect and plans on turning over the Red October to the United States. So, the race is on to see who can get to Ramius first Jack Ryan or the Russians... Spoiler Alert! for a 30 year old movie: Jack Ryan reaches the Red October and Ramius successfully defects.

I love this movie. It's not without flaws but, I think the plot is very engaging, it's well shot, the actors are all pretty good, the musical score is solid... It checks all of the boxes or me. I highly recommend this one if you've never seen it.
4.5 out of 5