Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Hunt for Red October'

Written by Scott Edwards

The quest for military superiority has been happening throughout time. Wanting to develop the next big thing that will give your side the advantage on the battle field is what every general is looking for. When accomplishing this however, there is a fear that your new technology can be lost to your opponent and they can use it to their advantage. It is difficult to gauge if they will be able to recreate your greatest weapon for their own purposes, but if they do, you no longer hold the advantage. 

Jack Ryan is a C.I.A. desk jockey that is not looking for greatness, just to help his country. When he receives news that there is a new Russian sub hitting the water however, he is striving to find out all he can about their new vessel. Not being an engineer, Jack has to turn to his old friends to help him understand what is happening with the never before seen sub and with the minimal information he has been able to gather, he has to brief the U.S. government on what threat it could possibly be. But Jack is not solely focused on the sub as much as he is focused on the captain of the boat, Marko Ramius.

Marko Ramius is nearing the end of his days with the Russian fleet and wants to do something to make his last voyage a memorable one. Knowing that his new sub has the capabilities that no other sub on the planet has, he devises a plan to make his way to America...to defect. When the naval leaders of Russia get word of this, they send the entire fleet after him to try to sink the ship before the tenured captain is able to turn the sub over to the Americans. But Ramius is not sure if he can trust anyone from the U.S. as well, since the diplomatic relations between the two countries are still heated, he has to find the right American to talk to, to make his true intentions known. With time working against him, Ramius has to stay afloat long enough for someone to rise to the occasion and listen to his plea. 

Ryan has a long road ahead of him when he discovers what Ramius is trying to do and needs to convince the chiefs of staff that the old Russian is trying to come to America for a new life, rather than litter it with a hundred warheads, which the sub was designed to do. Only based on a hunch, Ryan is willing to put his name on the line and is able to find a ride on the only submarine that is able to locate the new killing machine. Being able to contact the old captain, Ryan has to formulate a plan of how to get the boat safely into the United States hands. But he is in a race against time as the Americans and Russians are pushing their engines to the max, trying to locate and sink the sub before it falls into the hands of the enemy, or worse, starts the next world war.

Ah, the story of Jack Ryan starts off with a bang. This is the first of the series and all it does is make you want to believe we have someone this smart working in the government. The thing that I love about this movie is that you have so many strong characters. I am only focused on two in this, but there are oh, so many more. My personal favorite is Jones, the sonar operator since he is able to make something out of nothing and find the sub that was never supposed to be found. The list goes on and on about how good the characters are in this movie and the performances all around are just fantastic. I would be shocked if anyone has never seen this movie, and if you have not, plug it in right now. It was an instant classic when it came out and it still holds its values today. Up next, Patriot Games. Happy Viewing.

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