This Cold War thriller marks the first screen appearance of Jack Ryan, the US agent subsequently played by Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger, Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears, and Chris Pine in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Here, Ryan (Alec Baldwin) plays a distinct second fiddle to the enigmatic Soviet commander Marko Ramius (a charismatic Sean Connery) who sparks an international crisis when he starts heading his new submarine – the Red October – straight for the USA during the trial voyage.
The sub is heavily armed and equipped with an experimental new propulsion system that makes it virtually impossible to track.
As the superpowers engage in the usual round of accusations and denials, it’s left to Ryan to figure out whether the Russian is defecting or preparing to launch an undetectable, pre-emptive nuclear strike.
The talented supporting cast (Sam Neill, Tim Curry, Joss Ackland, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn) gives a pleasing sheen to the material while John McTiernan’s no-frills direction ensures that the tension rarely slips below pressure-cooker level.
Capt. Marko Ramius
Sean Connery Jack Ryan
Alec Baldwin Captain Bart Mancuso
Scott Glenn Captain Vasily Borodin
Sam Neill Admiral James Greer
James Earl Jones Andrei Lysenko
Joss Ackland Jeffrey Pelt
Richard Jordan Ivan Putin
Peter Firth Dr. Petrov
Tim Curry Seaman Jones
Courtney B. Vance Captain Tupolev
Stellan Skarsgård Skip Tyler
Jeffrey Jones Bill Steiner
Timothy Carhart Admiral Painter
Fred Dalton Thompson Captain Davenport
Daniel Davis Loginov
Tomas Arana Seaman Beaumont
Ned Vaughn Lieutenant Commander Thompson
Anthony Peck Lt Melekhin
Ronald Guttman Ivan
Ivan Benko Kamarov
Michael Welden Slavin
Boris Krutonog
Director
John McTiernan
Video
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