CRIMSON TIDE (1995, USA) ***½
Action, Drama, Thriller
dist. Buena Vista Pictures; pr co. Hollywood Pictures / Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films; d. Tony Scott; w. Michael Schiffer (based on a story by Michael Schiffer and Richard P. Henrick); exec pr. Lucas Foster, Mike Moder, Bill Unger; pr. Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson; assoc pr. James W. Skotchdopole; ph. Dariusz Wolski (Technicolor. 35mm (Eastman). Panavision (anamorphic). 2.39:1); m. Hans Zimmer; ed. Chris Lebenzon; pd. Michael White; ad. James J. Murakami, Dianne Wager, Donald B. Woodruff; set d. Mickey S. Michaels; cos. George L. Little; m/up. Ellen Wong, Ron Scott, Michael Mills; sd. George Watters II, John P. Fasal, William B. Kaplan (Dolby Digital); sfx. Al Di Sarro, Darrell Pritchett; vfx. Hoyt Yeatman; st. Steve Picerni; rel. 12 May 1995 (USA), 3 November 1995 (UK); cert: R/15; r/t. 116m.
cast: Denzel Washington (Hunter), Gene Hackman (Ramsey), Matt Craven (Zimmer), George Dzundza (Cob), Viggo Mortensen (Weps), James Gandolfini (Lt. Bobby Dougherty), Rocky Carroll (Lt. Westergaurd), Jaime Gomez (Ood Mahoney), Michael Milhoan (Hunsicker), Scott Burkholder (TSO Billy Linkletter), Danny Nucci (Danny Rivetti), Lillo Brancato (Russell Vossler), Eric Bruskotter (Bennefield), Ricky Schroder (Lt. Paul Hellerman), Steve Zahn (William Barnes), James Lesure (Guard #2), Trevor St. John (Launcher), Dennis Garber (Fire Control Technician), Matthew Barry (Planesman), Christopher Birt (Helmsman).
After the Cold War, a breakaway Russian republic with nuclear warheads becomes a possible worldwide threat. U.S. submarine Capt. Frank Ramsey (Hackman) signs on a relatively green but highly recommended Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter (Washington) to the USS Alabama, which may be the only ship able to stop a possible Armageddon. When Ramsay insists that the Alabama must act aggressively, Hunter, fearing they will start rather than stop a disaster, leads a potential mutiny to stop him. Despite its implausible concept, Scott turns out a tense battle of wills between Hackman and Washington. The premise is contrived to build a debate around these men’s opposing views on military procedure and ethics. Their opposing arguments are made intelligently in the first half of the movie, but once a “mutiny” has been triggered the debate is seemingly resolved by the scriptwriters before the final act is played out. This moves the story into a more familiar race against the clock scenario, which plays out in predictable fashion. What carries the film along, despite its flaws, are the compelling performances of its two stars who are perfectly cast. The tension remains high throughout and the technical attributes are first class. Scott avoids his penchant for showy visuals and concentrates on letting his camera capture the nuances in the performances of his lead actors. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne both contributed to the screenplay without credit. Extended version runs to 123m.
AAN: Best Sound (Kevin O’Connell, Rick Kline, Gregory H. Watkins, William B. Kaplan); Best Film Editing (Chris Lebenzon); Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing (George Watters II)