Let's be realistic.

hyped garbage

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"The Hunt for Red October" is a superb thriller that's just in time for the end of the Cold War and the USSR. When Tom Clancy wrote his first novel, "The Hunt for Red October," in 1984, no one could foresee the collapse of the Soviet Union. Certainly not within just seven years. But, when this movie by the same title and based on Clancy's best-seller was made in March 1990, the demise of the USSR had just begun. Talk about fortunate and opportunistic timing. Had the movie been delayed another year or two, it would have been after the collapse and likely would not have drawn as much interest. But one could not find a period of more attention and higher interest for a film such as this than during the first months that the Iron Curtain began to crumble. The Berlin Wall collapsed in November of 1989. Soviet bloc countries began to seek their independence. Within three months of this film's release (May 1990), the first free election of the Soviet Federative Socialist Republic took place. By Dec. 25, 1991, all the former member states of the USSR had gained independence. And, on that day, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as leader of the USSR, thus ending its existence. The recently elected Boris Yeltsin was now the sole leader of the new republic of Russia. It's worth recounting these events from history for considering the significance of this movie. Because a few decades down the road, when there will be little memory left of the Soviet Union, there should always be a reminder of what it was. And beyond that time, when only the history books will have accounts of the USSR, this movie will remain as a testament of the time and the world threat of global warfare that existed because of the USSR. Perhaps it may have a future role in helping to divert major warfare between nations. This is a superb film, based on a superb book. It's a tremendous military thriller of the Cold War period. The craft put into the movie is outstanding -- from a first-rate cast to sets, props, submarine design and reconstructions of the Neptune class Soviet sub, photography, direction, etc. Here are a couple of favorite lines from the film. For more dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie. Marko Ramius, "A little revolution now and then is a healthy thing, don't you think?"Jeffrey Pelt, "Listen, I'm a politician, which means I'm a cheat and a liar, and when I'm not kissing babies I'm stealing their lollipops. But it also means that I keep my options open."

The Hunt for Red October (1990) This is a classic espionage thriller. It stars Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill. The film is based on Tom Clancy's 1984 bestselling novel of the same name. The film grossed $200,512,643 worldwide. It was well received by critics and audiences gave the film an average grade of A. The Hunt for Red October was nominated and won several awards in 1991. The film was also nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills. The Jack Ryan character was the first real attempt at an American equivalent to a James Bond. Later the advent of the Jason Bourne movies took on that function. Unlike Bourne or some versions of Bond, Ryan is more of a fish out of water. He is an analyst thrust into the action. The difference from the others is his mind is his weapon in this film. This is a solid psychological thriller, that hold up considerably, despite our knowledge of the subsequent films.

Most of "The Hunt for Red October" was an engaging movie, until the goofy conclusion. When the cast started chasing each other from boat to boat, it turned into the Keystone Kops.

This is a totally serviceable 90s war drama that I can't imagine ever rushing to revisit. Baldwin is a great Jack Ryan, playing a much more down-to-earth, charismatic hero than Ford's portrayal. McTiernan brings his solid, underrated direction, even if the story's pacing and tone never quite reaches Die Hard heights.