It is 1984 and there is something in the seas that poses a new threat to world peace — it is a Russian submarine called the Red October, a stealth vessel with nuclear capability.  The CIA obtains photographs of the vessel showing some unusual doors on its sides, and it is later realised that the Red October possesses a revolutionary propulsion system called the Caterpillar Drive, that makes it virtually undetectable by SONAR!  This means the submarine could actually silently deploy nuclear missiles all along the US coastline without anyone knowing about it until it is too late.

The Red October is under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), and on its maiden voyage, the Captain informs the Russian government that he is intending to defect to the United States.  The Russians immediately panic, and send out a whole fleet of ships to find and capture Ramius, while declaring to the US government that Ramius has gone mad and intends to start a nuclear war.  The US government also wants to find the submarine, mostly because they want the technology, but even inspite of CIA analyst Jack Ryan's (Alec Baldwin) suspicions about Ramius's defection, the Captain's real intentions are unclear.  With escalating tensions on both sides, the "Hunt for Red October" is on!

What a terrific film this is!  I remember watching this movie in the theatre when I was seven or eight years old, and though I was too young to understand the intricacies of the plot, I did like the movie.  Watching it now, this adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel is a superb thriller.  It has a great story and a great cast (Sean Connery, in particular, captures the screen every moment he is on it!), and director John McTiernan keeps building the suspense steadily.  Make no mistake, this movie looks and feels like a big-budget action blockbuster, though the thrills are largely story-driven.  After making what is possibly one of the best action films of all time (Die Hard, 1988), one would expect nothing less from McTiernan.

The photography (Jan De Bont) is awesome, and contributes the requisite amount of style and gloss to the proceedings.  The film features a superb music score by Basil Poledouris.  Basil Poledouris, who sadly, passed away recently, is, in my opinion, truly one of the great film composers — who can forget his dramatic RoboCop theme, or the depth and richness of his music from Conan the Barbarian, which added to much of the "feel" of the film itself!  Here he contributes a rousing score as well, and the theme of the film that plays under the opening credits ("The Hymn for Red October") is unforgettable.

As I mentioned earlier, the film is largely story-driven, so might seem slow-moving to some.  But trust me, once you get into the film, you'll find it hard to let go.  All said and done, The Hunt for Red October is a great movie, and I loved it every step of the way.  "The Hunt is On" indeed!

Running Time: 135 minutes | Country: US | Genre: Thriller