| The Hunt for Red October | | Cast : | Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin | | Director : | John McTiernan | | Studio : | Paramount Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | March 02, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | May 06, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | Jack Ryan's Best | Content
 | THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER might well be the very best espionage thriller of all time... What starts as a chess match between the Russians and the United States ends up much more complex as ironic friendships are formed. But, the real chess match is between the audience and the brilliant director, John McTiernan (DIE HARD). He spends the entire film staying just ahead of the viewer, often giving what appears at first to be confusing information but revealed to be crystal clear. Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan, a role which Harrison Ford picked up in the far less focused PATRIOT GAMES and continued in the not good CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. Baldwin seems to have a reason for being involved, and thus puts in a more interesting turn than Harrison. Helping Alec along is scene stealer... sorry.. film stealer Sean Connery as Sub Stealer Ramius. Everything under McTiernans great touch leads to an exciting "jump out of the water" ending with little left unturned. The musical score by Basil Poledouris is stunning and beautiful. And the colorful photography makes great use of the compressed submarine atmosphere. But, this DVD, while having a good soundtrack, offers nothing in the ways of extras but worse, offers a horrible video transfer. Lets hope this gets re-done by someone who cares... |
| Rating | | | Date | July 10, 2005 | | Summary | "I shoulda bet the house!" | Content
| The first of the Jack Ryan books and movies has a lot of myth associated with it. Clancy's Jack Ryan was, as Clancy created him, brilliant. It is his role as a young CIA researcher that he comes to, but only after being in traction for a year following a helicopter crash. It's really his second job, second chance, second opportunity. And Clancy has him not wanting to blow it. In what follows (Harrison Ford) Jack Ryan is a little more self-assured, a little more arrogant. But that was beyond the scope of this Jack Ryan, and correctly so.
Like Ryan, the svelte Alec Baldwin ends up playing opposite Connery's brilliant Captain Ramius and I always believed and still do, does an excellent job. He is smart enough to know what's going on, and new enough to be frightened (or at least anxious) of the mucky-mucks that surround him. Harrison Ford was unable to pull off the naivte and innocence of Jack Ryan, and we see Patriot Games with a new Jack Ryan, not necessarily one intended by Clancy. Just a parting note. I don't know why Baldwin didn't run with Patriot. He'd still be laughing all the way to the bank. I am told it was because he wanted too much $. If so, bad decision Alec.
The other point about the movie is that like DeMille (Charm School; Word of Honor), Clancy was skilled in beating the evil Cyclops that was Moscow. When Moscow fell in a pile of broken Vodka glasses and syndicated crime, it was difficult to switch gears. DeMille did it successfully (In Country; Nightfall). Clancy has had a little more difficulty.
Red October is brilliant, the second and third time around. Baldwin is great; Connery is excellent. But you have to remember that then, the Soviets weren't the laughing stock they are now. 5 Stars. Larry Scantlebury |
| Rating | | | Date | June 12, 2005 | | Summary | SUBMERGED | Content
| This is the first Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan novel adapted to the screen, and while it's production values are high and its cast capable, I found HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER to be too long on talk, too short on action, and too long overall. Sometimes movies that take places on subs can become claustrophobic and tedious, and I found that to be the case in this film. While Sean Connery is marvelous as the Russian captain, and Alec Baldwin makes an effective Ryan, the movie's pacing is too slow and the action sequences are stiff and uninvolving. It also takes the entire movie to find the motivation for Connery's actions. But the movie boasts a fine supporting cast: Courtney B. Vance, Scott Glenn, Peter Firth, Sam Elliott, Joss Ackland, Richard Jordan, and Stellan Starsgaard are all fine. A crisper, sharper editing might have made it a classic, but as it stands, it's merely a competent drama. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 20, 2005 | | Summary | Fast-paced, original, and riddled with suspense... | Content
| Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin star in The Hunt For Red October, a brilliantly conceived storyline drawn from the pages of military thriller and superstar writer Tom Clancy's first novel. Blessed with a cutting-edge plot and dripping with suspense, The Hunt For Red October is one of the best Soviet/US spy films ever produced (and right on the cusp of the Cold War's end). Perhaps the Soviet Union's collapse was hurried along by its fear of a civilian populace that could write stories so close to reality. After all, if a US civilian could estimate the capabilities of the new Soviet submarines, what had their government uncovered? Regardless of its real life implications, The Hunt For Red October is an entertaining film rivaled by few in its class...
When Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) is appointed to command the newest and most technologically advanced submarine in the Soviet fleet - the Red October, he orders his crew to do the unthinkable - defect to the United States. Diverting the sub from its designated course, he causes alarm among the ranks of the entire Soviet military establishment. The United States takes notice as well, informed by the Soviet Union that the renegade commander is intent on attacking the United States.
But CIA operative Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) has another theory. Suppose that Ramius was attempting to defect? Would the Soviet Union really inform its greatest enemy of a defection, or would they simply attempt to enlist its services in immediately destroying the sub? Ryan banks on the latter and does everything within his power to convince the top brass that he's right. Now, the hunt is on between the two largest superpowers in the world. Which one will find the Red October first?
The role of Jack Ryan, so brilliantly portrayed by Alec Baldwin, falls to Harrison Ford for the next two Tom Clancy novels adapted to the big screen - Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger. Ben Affleck would later star in the role of Ryan for the 2002 film release of Sum Of All Fears. But Baldwin is clearly in command of the character in this initial onscreen depiction of the now famous Jack Ryan.
However, the true star of The Hunt For Red October is Sean Connery, the former James Bond regular, who plays the role of Captain Marko Ramius. Connery is more than believable as the headstrong, renegade commanding officer of the Red October. In addition to its strong casting, The Hunt For Red October is further enhanced by the screenwriter's decision to stick as close as possible to Tom Clancy's original work. A surprising #1 best-seller, The Hunt For Red October became a national phenomenon following its less than ambitious initial print-run of 15,000 copes by the Naval Institute Press. Its best-seller status wasn't the result of luck, as this film will attest. The first in a series of blockbuster Jack Ryan films, The Hunt For Red October is a definite must-see film no one should miss...
The DVD Report |
| Rating | | | Date | March 22, 2005 | | Summary | Great movie, but low on special features | Content
| The Hunt for Red October is an excellent movie that still is entertaining today. I grew up after the Cold War (I was alive when the wall fell, I just didn't care), but this film had me on the edge of my seat. The effects have withstood the test of time and even by today's standards are top notch. While most people associate Jack Ryan with Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin gives Ryan more depth and character than Ford (although he's not as attractive!). Sean Connery, of course, dominates every scene he's in and the rest of the cast across the board give excellent performances. My one fault with Red October is the glaringly obvious plot 'twist' where the first mate is murdered. In the scene in Connery's cabin, the first mate describes the life he hopes to lead in America. I was like 'Oh he's so cute and he's totally going to die!' And, low and behold, boom. Predictable, eh comrade?
Aside from that one nitpick, The Hunt for Red October is a movie that is both timeless and endlessly rewatchable. The film transfers well to DVD, although it is slim on special features. However, the movie itself is worth the price of the DVD. This is a must own movie! |
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