À la poursuite d’Octobre rouge

An impressive adaptation of an equally impressive book. A very good cast where even Alec Baldwin is cast well in the role of Jack Ryan and mainly the immensely charismatic Soviet Captain Marko Ramius played by Sean Connery. Add to this an interesting story, masterfully built suspense and great cadence. Plus McTiernan’s sure directing supported by marvelous music from Basil Poledouris and Hans Zimmer. Without a doubt, the best movie adaptation of a book by graphomaniac Tom Clancy. OST score: 4/5 (26/01/2007)

A well cast, old-school nautical thriller. McTiernan has everything firmly in hand and Basil Poledouris's music perfectly underlines the dense atmosphere. (01/09/2012)

Not so much a pure action movie, but rather an exhilarating duel between two top-notch captains. The plot twists are rather just a complement. Both Sean Connery and Scott Glenn deliver magnificent performances, topped off with a final handshake. John McTiernan's direction is excellent. And it couldn’t be otherwise, as it was still during the times when he was at the peak of his career, making one hit after another, and The Hunt for Red October is one of his best pieces. The atmosphere of the submarine is fantastic and the underwater battles are thrilling. (21/12/2005)

It's a pity that the submarine wasn't utilized more as a claustrophobic environment because that's how it will always be for me. Sean Connery is good as a Russian, but his casting choice is simply wrong for the story, because then everything becomes somewhat clear and you just wait to see how it ends in the spirit of the Cold War's end. (27/01/2015)