The Hunt for Red October

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: March 2, 1990

7.7	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 147 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

Compi24Nov 28, 2012

"The Hunt For Red October" is a 1990 film directed by John McTiernan and stars Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery. The film is adapted from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel about a Soviet nuclear submarine which drops off U.S. scanners, prompting a young"The Hunt For Red October" is a 1990 film directed by John McTiernan and stars Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery. The film is adapted from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel about a Soviet nuclear submarine which drops off U.S. scanners, prompting a young CIA analyst (Baldwin) to scramble to find out what the captain's (Connery) motives really are. To start off, I love Tom Clancy. I'm a fairly big fan of his Splinter Cell, Rainbow SIx, and Ghost Recon franchises. I had also heard of "Red October" and that it was directed by the guy who made "Predator" and "Die Hard", so I was already pretty excited to watch this movie. In short, the film did not, in any way, disappoint. What kind of shocked and worried me about this is that this film was filed under the "Thriller" section on Netflix. . .and it's rated PG. Needless to say, this fact sort of worried me. I was wrong though - just because this movie is PG does not mean it isn't "thrilling" in any sense of the word. "Red October" is in fact an "edge of your seat" thriller by definition. Almost every facet of this film is excellent. The script, I found, was very witty and well written by Larry Ferguson. The acting was spectacular, specifically of course from Connery and Baldwin. The score was very awesome and appropriate for the source material. The special effects were very good, especially for the late 80's. I'd say that "The Hunt For Red October" is a solid thriller that will have a hard time disappointing many of its viewers.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

All this user's reviews

HucksterFeb 25, 2013

I love the fact that everything just clicks right into place in this thriller. A fast paced movie based in fact with excellent attention to detail. Probably not the best of submarine movies (with some amateurish animated underwater motionI love the fact that everything just clicks right into place in this thriller. A fast paced movie based in fact with excellent attention to detail. Probably not the best of submarine movies (with some amateurish animated underwater motion scenes) but overall a fantastic adventure with first rate acting by a great cast. Have to say I find it a thoroughly entertaining and quite gripping film. I re-watch it every year on dvd and still love it and am impressed by just about all aspects.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

All this user's reviews

Kai82Jul 3, 2021

A classic movie that is at the same time highly valued but rarely spoken about anymore. It has a good cast, tactical cat and mouse games atop on a good story. Lets start at the beginning. The movie is based of the (debut) book from Tom ClancyA classic movie that is at the same time highly valued but rarely spoken about anymore. It has a good cast, tactical cat and mouse games atop on a good story. Lets start at the beginning. The movie is based of the (debut) book from Tom Clancy and is also the first appearance of Jack Ryan who will become one of his most famous characters. The story is set in the cold war era in1984 and starts when the legendary Russian submarine captain Marko Ramius is given the command of the “Red October” a new type of submarine called Typhoon class. It has a new type of impulse engine that makes it practically invisible to (passive) sonar. After an American submarine shadowing the Red October losses contact all alarm bells ring in the USA. Even more a bit later the Soviets deployed all their available navy assets to hunt down Ramius. It seems he got mad and wants to attack the USA on his own. However CIA analyst Jack Ryan has a different idea and believes that Ramius wants to defect and hand over the submarine to the USA. With this set up the story starts. It is engaging, immersive and is enhanced by the good characters. I like also the suspense and tactical cat and mouse games. It is no wonder that it worked well because the book was a bestseller and started Tom Clancy’s legacy as legendary novelist. Director John McTiernan successfully adapted the book into a great movie and I praise him for this. Lets continue with the cast. We have a lot of great actors for the movie. Sean Connery is a fantastic captain Marko Ramius. It is one of his great performances even when it is not as much praised as his other roles. He fully delivers his role. Alec Baldwin plays an excellent Jack Ryan that is truly convincing. Sidenote it is an interesting discussion topic which actor is the best Jack Ryan. Back to the movie. Stellan Skarsgard as captain Tupolev is really good and I wanted more of him in the movie. The other roles have fine actors too with for example Tim Curry, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn or Joss Ackland. A truly good cast. I enjoyed how they fill their roles with life and make them believable characters with understandable motives. Visually the movie creates an intense and realistic feeling atmosphere. They put a lot of effort into the sets and details. I highly appreciate this but must remark that I have not even basic level of understanding about the Navy, how life on a submarines is and naval warfare in general like most of the viewers. I say a realistic approach is wasted on most if the main audience does not have the knowledge to evaluate it (In an entertainment movie. For a documentary it is a no brainer must have). The soundtrack by Basil Poledouris is amazing and also nearly never brought up on favorite list. It enhance the atmosphere. Overall this was a movie I enjoyed a lot. It is a classic for its time and the good performance is worth an additional point to get a 10/10 rating. Worth watching and remembering.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

Manatee634Dec 7, 2011

This movie is just great. The fact that it's based on a Tom Clancy novel makes it even better. Sean Connery was great, so was Alec Baldwin. A thrilling climax (no spoilers), I would definitely recommend this movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

anichelsJan 24, 2017

I enjoyed this movie, the transitions between English and Russian speeches are well done - and I thought that the tone and direction was well done and easy to follow along. The plot was a bit gimmicky so that some events make the storyI enjoyed this movie, the transitions between English and Russian speeches are well done - and I thought that the tone and direction was well done and easy to follow along. The plot was a bit gimmicky so that some events make the story progress forward.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

EricT.Apr 17, 2007

Great special effects (except for the torpedo scenes). Kept me thinking.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MitchellM.Nov 28, 2005

I love this movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

EllaT.Sep 22, 2006

COOL.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

tonyGreenJul 18, 2020

A classic. So many aspects are done very well, from the pacing, to the way they deal with Russian dialogue to avoid captioning or faux Russian accents. An effective thriller with a lot of humor, intrigue and the mandatory submarine movieA classic. So many aspects are done very well, from the pacing, to the way they deal with Russian dialogue to avoid captioning or faux Russian accents. An effective thriller with a lot of humor, intrigue and the mandatory submarine movie elements. It is also one of those refreshing films that doesn't treat the audience like idiots. Even the visual effects are not to bad for the era.… Expand