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| Impressive silver fox Sean Connery painted red and black on this anticipation-building poster for John McTiernan's The Hunt for Red October |
The Soviets have built a new submarine propulsion system, which makes their latest invention a silent threat. The technology is used on the mammoth submarine Red October, a vessel with a crew that either wants to defect or who are led by a doomsday-enamored maniac.
The Hunt for Red October is written by Larry Ferguson (Highlander (1986)), Donald E. Stewart (Missing (1982)) and David Shaber (The Warriors (1979)), adapting the same-titled 1984 novel by Tom Clancy (Without Remorse (1993)), and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker John McTiernan (Nomads (1986)), whose 4th film it is.
To begin with it is a bit comical to see great Scotsman Sean Connery (You Only Live Twice (1967)) as a Russian captain, but he is terrific for the part, and he keeps us in a constant vice of paranoia, which keeps us guessing; is he really mad? - Or is it just a bluff?
The cast all-around makes this a deluxe Clancy adaptation - as well as the first of them: James Earl Jones (Law & Order (1993, TV-series)) as the CIA boss is perfect; Alec Baldwin (Along Came Polly (2004)) as protagonist Jack Ryan, and fellow talents such as Scott Glenn (Firestorm (1998)), Stellan Skarsgård (Melancholia (2011)), Sven-Ole Thorsen (The Viking Sagas (1995)), Sam Neill (Daybreakers (2009)) and Fred Thompson (Cape Fear (1991)). It is also a treat that this stern, male-dominated spy story is permitted to play out without a studio-mandated female tangent attached for sex value. The underwater scenes, which have early uses of CGI, work. Jan de Bont's (Kapsalon (1972)) cinematography is simple but precise. Basil Poledouris' (It's My Party (1996)) score is solid support.
McTiernan cements himself as one of the best American filmmakers in the late part of the 20th century here.
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Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 30 mil. $
Box office: 200.5 mil. $
= Huge hit (returned 6.68 times its cost)
[The Hunt for Red October was released 2 March (USA) and runs 135 minutes. The US Navy were supportive of the film's creation and provided submarines for shooting, as well as advice on how to portray them positively. Connery was paid 4 mil. $ for his performance. Shooting took place from April 1989-? in England, North Carolina, Alaska, Connecticut, Washington and California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #1 to a 17.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another 2 weekends and then remained in the top 5 for another 7 weekends, grossing 122 mil. $ (60.8 % of the total gross). It was the 6th highest-grossing film in North America of the year. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. It was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning for Best Sound Effects Editing. It lost Best Editing and Best Sound to Dances with Wolves. It was also nominated for 3 BAFTAs, among other honors. McTiernan returned with Medicine Man (1992). Connery returned in The Russia House (1990)); Baldwin in Miami Blues (1990). The Hunt for Red October is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of The Hunt for Red October?
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