THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (USA, 1990) ****
Distributor: Paramount Pictures; Production Company: Paramount Pictures / Mace Neufeld Productions / Nina Saxon Film Design; Release Date: 2 March 1990 (USA), 20 April 1990 (UK); Filming Dates: began 3 April 1989; Running Time: 135m; Colour: Technicolor; Sound Mix: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints); Film Format: 35mm, 70 mm (blow-up); Film Process: Panavision (anamorphic); Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1, 2.20:1 (70mm); BBFC Cert: PG.
Director: John McTiernan; Writer: Larry Ferguson, Donald Stewart (based on the novel by Tom Clancy); Executive Producer: Larry DeWaay, Jerry Sherlock; Producer: Mace Neufeld; Director of Photography: Jan de Bont; Music Composer: Basil Poledouris; Film Editor: Dennis Virkler, John Wright; Casting Director: Amanda Mackey; Production Designer: Terence Marsh; Art Director: William Cruse, Dianne Wager, Donald B. Woodruff; Set Decorator: Mickey S. Michaels; Costumes: James W. Tyson (uncredited); Make-up: Wes Dawn, Jim Kail, Dino Ganziano; Sound: Cecelia Hall, George Watters II; Special Effects: Al Di Sarro; Visual Effects: Scott Squires.
Cast: Sean Connery (Marko Ramius), Alec Baldwin (Jack Ryan), Scott Glenn (Bart Mancuso), Sam Neill (Captain Borodin), James Earl Jones (Admiral Greer), Joss Ackland (Andrei Lysenko), Richard Jordan (Jeffrey Pelt), Peter Firth (Ivan Putin), Tim Curry (Dr. Petrov), Courtney B. Vance (Seaman Jones), Stellan Skarsgård (Captain Tupolev), Jeffrey Jones (Skip Tyler), Timothy Carhart (Bill Steiner), Larry Ferguson (Chief of the Boat), Fred Thompson (Admiral Painter (as Fred Dalton Thompson)), Daniel Davis (Captain Davenport), Ned Vaughn (Seaman Beaumont – USS Dallas), Anthony Peck (Lt. Comm. Thompson – USS Dallas), Mark Draxton (Seaman – USS Dallas), Tom Fisher (Seaman – USS Dallas), Pete Antico (Seaman – USS Dallas), Ronald Guttman (Lt. Melekhin – Red October), Tomas Arana (Loginov (Cook) – Red October), Michael George Benko (Ivan – Red October), Anatoli Davydov (Officer #1 – Red October (as Anatoly Davydov)), Ivan G’Vera (Officer #2 – Red October), Artur Cybulski (Diving Officer – Red October), Sven-Ole Thorsen (Russian COB – Red October), Michael Welden (Kamarov – Red October), Boris Lee Krutonog (Slavin – Red October (as Boris Krutonog)), Kenton Kovell (Seaman – Red October), Radu Gavor (Seaman – Red October), Ivan Ivanov (Seaman – Red October), Ping Wu (Seaman – Red October), Herman Sinitzyn (Seaman – Red October), Krzysztof Janczar (Andrei Bonovia – Konovalov (as Christopher Janczar)), Vlado Benden (Seaman – Konovalov), George Saunders (Seaman – Konovalov (as George Winston)), Don Oscar Smith (Helicopter Pilot), Rick Ducommun (Navigator C-2A), George H. Billy (DSRV Officer), Reed Popovich (Lt. Jim Curry (as LCDR Reed Popovich)), Andrew Divoff (Andrei Amalric), Peter Zinner (Admiral Padorin), Tony Veneto (Padorin’s Orderly), Ben Hartigan (Admiral (Briefing)), Ray Reinhardt (Judge Moore (Briefing)), F.J. O’Neil (General (Briefing)), Robert Buckingham (Admiral #2 (Briefing)), A.C. Lyles (Advisor #1), 53David Sederholm (Sunglasses), John Shepherd (Foxtrot Pilot), William Bell Sullivan (Lt. Cmd. Mike Hewitt), Gates McFadden (Caroline Ryan), Louise Borras (Sally Ryan), Denise E. James (Stewardess), Stanley (Self).
Synopsis: In 1984, the USSR’s best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war?
Comment: Connery is a Russian submarine commander who US intelligence analyst Jack Ryan (Baldwin) believes is looking to defect with his vessel and its revolutionary silent drive system.. The Russian navy is in pursuit and the US authorities are hedging their bets believing the submarine to be armed with nuclear missiles. McTiernan directs with a great sense of atmosphere and tension and is helped by an excellent cast led by Connery and Baldwin. Despite a couple of hokey visual effects, the production is well-mounted and the technical credits are top class – notably the sound and production design. It launched a successful series of films in which Harrison Ford (who was initially offered the role for this film but turned it down) and later Ben Affleck and Chris Prine would take on the role of Ryan. Connery trained for the role by spending time stationed on a submarine. Won an Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing (Cecelia Hall, George Watters II). Followed by PATRIOT GAMES (1992), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994), THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002) and WITHOUT REMORSE (2020) as well as the TV series Jack Ryan (2018-9).