Adapted from the first of Tom Clancy's blockbuster books, this is one of those adventure flicks that designed for guys who have a strong yen for machismo. But unlike most 'guy' films, this one actually has a plot, a wee bit of character development, and some great action scenes.

The plot is fairly simple -- a respected Soviet sub commander, Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), decides to defect with his new-tech sub to the USA -- or is it just a ploy to get his nuclear missiles in range of the East Coast and Washington DC? There's the plot in a nutshell, but how we get there and how it's all unraveled is what engages the viewers.

The one American, consultant Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) is the one who figures it out, but can convince his boss, Admiral Greer (James Earl Jones) that it's a defector and not a preemptive strike? And we follow Ryan from London to America to the USS Enterprise (captained by none other than Senator Fred Thompson) to the USS Dallas, with Bart Mancuso (Scott Glenn) at the helm. Mancuso doesn't trust either Ramius or Ryan, and it's just as much fun watching the cat and mouse games with these two as well as the sub games underwater.

And let's not forget the Russians, who are sending out their own hunters to get to Ramius before it's too late. I hardly noticed the time passing as I sat through this (and I confess that it's still a favorite film to watch).

The tech in this is top notch, enough to keep any techie happy, lots of stunts, a grim Connery who still has some sly wit, some shootouts, crazy helicoptor jumping, and enough to keep any fan of Clancy's glued to their seat and having a good time.

Outstanding supporting cast, including Sam Neil as Ramius' second in command, Vasily Borodin; Tim Curry as the wimpy Soviet Dr Petrov on board the sub; Jeffrey Jones as a friend of Ryan's who helps him figure out the tech; the adforementioned James Earl Jones as King of the CIA spooks, and especially Courtney B. Vance as Jonesy, the Paganini loving sonarman who figures out how to track the Russian submarine. The screenwriter for the film, Larry Ferguson, does a little cameo turn as the Chief of the USS Dallas.

There's a few quibbles, especially in the DVD transfer -- all of the exterior underwater shots are dreadful, and look like fuzzy blue blobs in other fuzzy blue blobs. The nice thing is the that the images are presented in widescreen, which is the way to watch this, as with pan-and-scan you'll miss a few interesting bits in the film. Too few parts for women, with Gates McFadden as Ryan's wife who appears for just a moment then vanishes into the ether.

Directed by John McTiernan, score by Basil Poulidouros, with plenty of more heroics, underpaid stuntment, plenty of beauty shots of both submarines and men. Some great one liners. One nasty murder. Some shooting. Plenty of cursing.

All in all, a fun film for a cold night when you need something macho and heroic.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older