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Hunt for Red October (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (2nd February 2009). |
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The Film
 'The Hunt for Red October' is a taut, suspenseful thriller. The basic plot is simple: in 1984, an old, admired Russian general, Marco Ramius (Sean Connery), steals the most advanced submarine in the world, and where most of the American top brass thinks he's going to attack the United States, one man, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), believes he's going to defect to the West. The movie is much more interesting than it seems, as layers of games are happening throughout the movie. Not only does Jack Ryan have to try to convince the various generals and other officers that Ramius poses no threat, but Ramius has to convince his crew to try to defect, as none of them are keen on the idea. Both sides are pitted against each other, and each side has opposing parties. Each side has to keep the peace within itself before the other side decides to fire. From start to finish, the movie grabs your throat and slowly squeezes. The last half hour is incredibly tense, being one of the best climaxes in a thriller since it was released. Director John McTiernan was in his prime while directing 'The Hunt for Red October', creating a terrific experience. He achieved A-list status with movies like 'Predator' and 'Die Hard', and 'The Hunt for Red October' is arguably his last great movie. He knows how pace things out for maximum effect. Thanks to the situation between and among the Americans and the Russians, the tension runs high on multiple levels. There are also many subplots and Mr. McTiernan doesn't cut away at important moments – instead, he lets the overarching plot dictate when to finish the scene. In the hands of a less experienced director, the suspense could have easily been blundered away, but thanks to Mr. McTiernan's direction and the tight editing, the whole movie boils over with palpable tension. Helping create the atmosphere is the wonderful cast. 'The Hunt for Red October' was another one of a string of movies that helped Alec Baldwin become a star. He's not as effective a Jack Ryan as Harrison Ford is, in my opinion, but that doesn't mean he's not believable. He plays the role simply, almost as if Jack Ryan were the most boring person in the world, thrust into one of the most exciting situations in the world. Sean Connery and James Earl Jones are terrific, as well. Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Tim Curry and Jeffrey Jones also lend their talents. Without going into too much detail, Jan de Bont's cinematography and Basil Poleduris's score are both stunning, with each movement and beat helping out with the movie's atmosphere and tone, being both elegant and heroic. 'The Hunt for Red October' is Tom Clancy's first book, and is arguably his best. His novel has no trouble being transferred to the big screen, despite the concessions made for the screen. The end result is highly enjoyable, thanks to the great cast and director. Many thrillers are released, but few are able to achieve the results found in 'The Hunt for Red October'. From start to finish, it grabs you and the best part is that you want it to squeeze harder until you think you won't be able to hold on.
Video
2.35:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. Unfortunately, the same problems afflicting 'The Sum of All Fears' also bog down the picture quality in 'The Hunt for Red October'. The print is free of any problems, such as specks and scratches, and has a slight sheen of grain. Colours are accurate, with contrast being a bit low. Shadow detail is fairly poor, which is somewhat of a shame in this movie, taking place mostly in tight, confined spaces. Likewise, the picture is needlessly soft, taking away detail, especially if something is not in close-up. Adding to that is the DNR applied, which takes away fine detail everywhere in the picture. It could be argued that some of the problems with the transfer could be attributed to the age of the movie, but there have been older films with better transfers, and the problems are too strong to be ignored. This should have a better transfer.
Audio
The main audio track is an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, but there are Dolby Digital 5.1 dubs in French and Spanish. Thankfully, the audio is better than the video. Though most of the movie takes place in small places, submarines are full of blips, boops and other small sounds. The placement of these is always accurate and creates the correct, tight atmosphere. You're surrounded by small environmental noises, placing your right in the middle of the action. The volume levels are stellar, with dynamic range being very wide. Pings in submarines and gunshots bouncing off their hulls are thankfully not craeted equal. The subwoofer comes in and helps with the more hefty sounds, as well. Dialogue is always clear throughout the movie. The score swoops in at all the right places, helping create the proper atmosphere. It's a very pleasing and very accurate aural experience. English, English (HoH), French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitle are here.
Extras
There aren't all that many extras on this disc, but what's included is pretty good. First off is a fine audio commentary by director John McTiernan. He's never been the liveliest commentator, but I always enjoy his tracks. He never shies away from telling you what he likes and what he doesn't like. He mentions the locations, the actors, the sets and all the little details he puts in hoping people will get the message across. In, fact, he spends a fair amount of time telling us that he doesn't whether regular audiences get a lot of the details he puts in the movie. Overall, it's an informative track, on par with his 'Die Hard' and 'Predator' ventures. Next is the Beneath the Surface featurette (29:00). It's actually pretty good, and slightly better than the other featurette in the Jack Ryan collection, if only because it was the first movie in the series. The filmmakers and actors talk about trying to find the right tone and figuring out how to put everything they wanted to put into the movie. The actors, locations and sets are also mentioned. It's not the most detailed featurette out there, but it's worth a watch. Lastly is the Theatrical Trailer (1:41), which is actually pretty good. It shows you that there's a lot going on in the movie without giving you too much. It's a very good trailer.
Overall
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