Tamara D. Joseph post # 1: The Hunt for Red October (1990) directed by John McTiernan

The Hunt for October Red, directed by John McTiernan, elaborates on an average suspense story where one individual’s character is question until a very specific point in time in the movie. The plot seems to unfold in a manner that leaves one wondering who the main character is. On one side, you have the story of an analyst, Aleck Baldwin, who is going to great length in order to avoid what could be a national catastrophe, and suddenly, the focus seems to shift on the dubious character which in this case is Sean Connery. Overlooking that factor, a good job was done when bringing the two together as the movie progressed.

From one scene to the other, it seems as if crucial information, which will allow a better understanding of the story, is presented to the viewer, but when the real action begins unfolding abruptly (which is practically in the last 30 minutes of the movie) some previous scenes suddenly feel like extraneous information. The movie lasts about two hours and 15 minutes. In my opinion, one hour and forty five minutes would have been more appropriate.

Although the main focus was on a submarine built with the latest technology, the shots of what was happening outside the submarine left me feeling disconnected. When shooting inside the submarine, the action and the scenery seemed believable to me a person who knows nothing about such vessels. Maybe this feeling of disconnection from shots taken outside the submarine came from my judgmental twenty-first century pair of eyes who have seen how realistic movies can look. Despite the weird construction of how the plot unfolded, I do appreciate the story line. It left me on my toes at times, but I would have preferred less random conversation among government officials which left me puzzled on multiple occasions.