Man Movies » The Hunt for Red October http://manmovies.org Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:51:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The Hunt for Red October http://manmovies.org/the-hunt-for-red-october.html http://manmovies.org/the-hunt-for-red-october.html#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:57:41 +0000 Movie Man http://manmovies.org/?p=44 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…

Cast

  • Sean Connery as Captain 1st Class Marko Ramius, Commanding Officer of the Red October
  • Alec Baldwin as Dr. Jack Ryan
  • Scott Glenn as Commander Bart Mancuso, Commanding Officer of the USS Dallas
  • Sam Neill as Captain 2nd Class Vasily Borodin, Executive Officer of the Red October
  • James Earl Jones as Vice Admiral James Greer, CIA
  • Joss Ackland as Ambassador Andrei Lysenko
  • Richard Jordan as Dr. Jeffrey Pelt, National Security Advisor
  • Peter Firth as Senior Lieutenant Ivan Putin, Political Officer of the Red October
  • Tim Curry as Senior Lt./Dr. Yevgeniy Petrov, Chief Medical Officer of the Red October
  • Ronald Guttman as Senior Lieutenant Melekhin, Chief Engineer of the Red October
  • Michael Welden as Captain-Lieutenant Grigoriy Kamarov, Navigator of the Red October
  • Boris Krutonog as Senior Lieutenant Victor Slavin, Chief Helmsman of the Red October
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