The Hunt for Red October (1990)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Perfectly cast and packed with suspense, The Hunt for Red October is an old-fashioned submarine thriller with plenty of firepower to spare.
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Cast
as Marko Ramius
as Jack Ryan
as Bart Mancuso
as Capt. Borodin
as Adm. Greer
as Andrei Lysenko
as Jeffrey Pelt
as Ivan Putin
as Dr. Petrov
as Seaman Jones
as Capt. Tupolev
as Skip Tyler
as Bill Steiner
as Adm. Painter
as Capt. Davenport
as Chief of the Boat
as Loginov
as Seaman Beaumont
as Lt. Comdr. Thompson
as Lt. Melekhin
as Ivan
as Diving Officer
as Russian COB
as Kamarov
as Slavin
as Andrei Bonovia
as Helicopter Pilot
as Navigator C-2A
as DSRV Officer
as Diving Officer
as Lt. Jim Curry
as Andrei Amalric
as Adm. Padorin
as Padorin's Orderly
as Jodge Moore at Briefing
as General at Briefing
as Sunglasses
as Foxtrot Pilot
as Lt. Cmdr. Mike Hewitt
as Caroline Ryan
as Sally Ryan
as Stewardess
as Seaman - Red October
as Seaman - USS Dallas
as Seaman - USS Dallas
as Seaman - USS Dallas
as Officer #1 - Red October
as Officer #2 - Red October
as Seaman - Red October
as Seaman - Red October
as Seaman - Red October
as Seaman - Red October
as Seaman - Konovalov
as Seaman - Konovalov
as Admiral (Briefing)
as Admiral #2 (Briefing)
as Advisor #1
as Advisor #2
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Critic Reviews for The Hunt for Red October
All Critics (66) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (9) | DVD (16)
Clancy is known for writing difficult books, but the movie makes plausible a preposterous situation because of Baldwin's convincing, low-key approach to being a film hero.
You may not be limp from accumulated tension when this hunt is over, but its cautiously upbeat global message leaves a satisfying glow and it operates with a crackerjack premise.
An exciting techno-suspense thriller with a hollow center.
Though Hunt shows fitful signs of life, it lacks the human drama of Das Boot, the technical dazzle of The Abyss and the old-fashioned brio of Run Silent, Run Deep.
Red October is an idealized, dreamy fantasy of life in the business world-harmless as airplane reading, a bit dull on the big screen.
The Hunt for Red October is overplotted and sometimes implausible, but McTiernan's clipped style and lavish budget help it through the choppier waters.
Audience Reviews for The Hunt for Red October
It bogs down in the technical stuff in its second half, but it's still a competent Cold War classic from the director of Die Hard, (who also directed duds like The 13th Warrior and The Thomas Crown Affair, but I digress). I enjoyed learning that Alec Baldwin and Sam Neill weren't always middle-aged, and I especially appreciated that the Russians didn't have ridiculous accents (the film uses a zoom to switch from subtitled Russian to English, letting you in to the artifice). It's overly long and a bit mechanical, but this big-budget game of Battleship compares favourably to a lot of similar films.
Super Reviewer
A thrilling action movie, adequately cast.
Super Reviewer
Captain Ramius: You're afraid of our fleet. Well, you should be. Personally, I'd give us one chance in three. More tea anyone? "Invisible. Silent. Stolen." The Hunt for Red October is a film that deserves its classification as a thriller. There isn't a lull in the 2 hour plus runtime. It's a nonstop thrilling ride beneath the sea. Part of the reason the movie works so well is because of an extraordinary cast of Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earle Jones, Sam Neill and Tim Curry. There's a bunch of great character actors in there too, that I know by their face, but if asked I couldn't tell you their names. Red October is the name of a Russian sub, which is the command of Captain Ramius. Under his command the sub defects and makes its way towards the United States. The plot has many turns and what you expect isn't always what you get. Sean Connery makes this movie with his terrific veteran presence. Every time I watch a movie with him in it; I am always stunned by how convincing the guy is onscreen. Alec Baldwin isn't one of my favorite actors, but he is pretty good as the hero. This is a thriller that doesn't rely to much on action. There are long sequences where the excitement comes from listening to the characters talk instead of watching them run and shoot. Its a smart, well paced, cool film that I liked immensely. I'll take this over Die Hard any day.
Super Reviewer
The Hunt for Red October Quotes
| Capt. Borodin: | The crew know about the saboteur. They are afraid. |
| Marko Ramius: | Well, that could be useful when the time comes. |
| Jack Ryan: | Send him this. |
| Capt. Bart Mancuso: | Are you out of your mind? |
| Jack Ryan: | Just send it. |
| Capt. Bart Mancuso: | tell me one thing how did you know he was going to Starboard? |
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