“Hunt for Red October‘ was the first film adaptation of one of the nine novels (plus various spin-offs) about CIA agent Jack Ryan. All of these volumes sold millions and turned the American author Tom Clancy into a literary titan. Directed by Die Hard and Predator director John McTiernan, the thriller is the only one of five films to date to star Alec Baldwin (“Aviator”) as Ryan. Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine took on the role in later screen adaptations. John Krasinski plays the part in the Amazon Prime series that started in 2018.
The Hunt for Red October was a smash hit at the global box office in 1990. Nevertheless, Baldwin was not allowed to return for the sequel “The Patriotic Hour”. One of the reasons for this: Superstar Harrison Ford had actively tried to get the part. Perhaps the more serious reason was that Baldwin – despite a thoroughly appealing performance on his part – was more than clearly outplayed by another actor in “The Hunt for Red October”. It was about one of the absolute top stars in cinema history: Sean Connery. As a Soviet submarine commander, he delivered perhaps his most convincing and charismatic performance outside of the James Bond franchise.
In addition to Connery and Baldwin, there were also many other well-known mimes such as Scott Glenn (“The stuff heroes are made of”), Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”), “Star Wars”-Legend James Earl Jones, Tim Curry (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Dune’) in front of McTiernan’s camera. With “Hunt for Red October” he has created what we call it in our 4.5-star review, “perfectly composed mainstream thriller” – captivating and splendidly entertaining to the end. Sure, “Das Boot” by Wolfgang Petersen will remain unbeaten in terms of intensity and authenticity in this subgenre forever. However, “Hunting for Red October” should at least be about that second best Act submarine film at all.
the great one “Hunt for Red October” is on September 7, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. on Kabel 1. A repeat will be offered by the station on September 12 at 10:35 p.m. If both dates don’t suit you in time or you prefer to enjoy the work without commercial breaks, that’s of course possible. You can watch the film as part of your Amazon Prime Video subscription. Or you can order it on Blu-ray – preferably as a 4K UltraHD version:
» “Hunt for Red October” at Amazon*
Anyone who, after enjoying the Hollywood film, feels like treating themselves to the damn thrillingly written novel will find what they are looking for here:
» The book “Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy on Amazon*
The Cold War is on its last legs: the Soviet government has lost contact with the flagship of its submarine fleet for no apparent reason. This is particularly worrying for Moscow because a top-secret, innovative system was installed on “Red October” that enables almost silent travel. There are also plenty of nuclear warheads on board. Under no circumstances must either fall into the hands of enemy forces.
Shortly thereafter, a US Navy ship suddenly detects the huge underwater vehicle commanded by Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) on its radar. Apparently it’s headed straight for NATO waters. The US secret service and top Defense Department admirals in Washington fear that Ramius is planning to fire on military or even civilian installations in North America on his own initiative.
Only CIA agent Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) has a different theory. He is sure that Ramius wants to defect and put his boat in American hands. The closer “Red October” gets to the US coast, the more nervous his superiors become and want to sink the ship. Ryan is under intense pressure to discover the Russian’s true motives, while his subordinates on board face massive resistance and he is now being hunted by his own navy…
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will receive a commission.
