The Hunt for Red October (1990)
88%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
3 wins & 8 nominations total
Perfectly cast and packed with suspense, The Hunt for Red October is an old-fashioned submarine thriller with plenty of firepower to spare
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel like a spy, The Hunt for Red October is the one for you. With Sean Connery’s captivating performance and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end, this movie is a classic for a reason. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Cold War thriller? It’s the perfect movie to watch on a rainy day when you’re feeling a little bit sneaky.
Production Company(ies)
Independent Film Channel, Channel, Four Fourth Floor Pictures,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lake James, Burke County, North Carolina, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1990
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 17m
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Language(s):English, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 1990 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2003
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland, directed by John McTiernan, written by Larry Ferguson, Donald Stewart, Action, Adventure, PG, box office performance, $119.1M, reviewed by Bill Cosford, James Berardinelli, Gene Siskel, Sheila Benson, John Hartl, Peter Travers, Eddie Harrison, Mike Massie, Sarah Cartland, Calum Marsh, Gary Thompson, Tom Clancy novel adaptation, submarine thriller, Cold War, Soviet submarine, CIA agent, innovative stealth technology, defection, suspense, firepower, espionage, political maneuvering, technology, intelligence, patriotism, global message, human drama, technical dazzle, old-fashioned brio, Boys’ Own, low-key approach, magnetic performance, edge-of-your-seat suspense, high-stakes, confined locations, tension ratcheting, underwater canyon, sonar ping, Soviet Union, U.S
Worldwide gross: $200,512,643
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,259,715
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 316
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,410,002
US/Canada gross: $122,012,643
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $281,286,650
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 216
US/Canada opening weekend: $17,161,835
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $39,564,712
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 314
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $69,161,681
Production budget ranking: 609
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $37,243,565
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $355,854,469
ROI to date (est.): 334%
ROI ranking: 412
Alec Baldwin – Jack Ryan
Scott Glenn – Captain Bart Mancuso
Sam Neill – Captain Vasily Borodin
James Earl Jones – Admiral James Greer
Joss Ackland – Ambassador Andrei Lysenko
Director(s)
John McTiernan
Writer(s)
Larry Ferguson, Donald Stewart
Producer(s)
Mace Neufeld
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
3 wins & 8 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (73) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (9)
If you liked the Cold War, you’ll love The Hunt for Red October.
August 18, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Coupled with Connery’s magnetic performance, that’s enough to make The Hunt for Red October as watchable today as it was during its 1990 release.
October 8, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Clancy is known for writing difficult books, but the movie makes plausible a preposterous situation because of Baldwin’s convincing, low-key approach to being a film hero.
February 11, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
You may not be limp from accumulated tension when this hunt is over, but its cautiously upbeat global message leaves a satisfying glow and it operates with a crackerjack premise.
February 11, 2015
Sheila Benson
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
An exciting techno-suspense thriller with a hollow center.
February 11, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Though Hunt shows fitful signs of life, it lacks the human drama of Das Boot, the technical dazzle of The Abyss and the old-fashioned brio of Run Silent, Run Deep.
February 11, 2015
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
…The Hunt for Red October still makes sense in a Boys’ Own way even if the hopeful world described has long vanished…
May 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
With enough of a corkscrew plot to keep anyone guessing and with plenty of edge-of-your-seat suspense, this high-stakes espionage thriller never misses a beat.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
With a chilly majesty to its scale despite its confined locations, this is a supremely confident film with the courage of its convictions as the story slowly and steadily unfolds. 30 years on it still packs a powerful punch, the tension ratcheting.
November 10, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Sarah Cartland
Caution Spoilers
It’s to McTiernan’s credit that so much of this is made intense. Every silence on board the Russian sub, whether they’re squeaking through a narrow underwater canyon or sending out a single sonar ping, seems occasion to hold your breath.
October 18, 2018
Calum Marsh
Esquire Magazine
the kind of action thriller that is rarely made today-one that emphasizes intellect and logic, intuition and political maneuvering over might and brawn
September 17, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
The Hunt for Red October is a happy cinematic event, the first motion picture that allows us to experience the sweaty-palm thrills of the Cold War without worrying that the world will blow up this year.
February 11, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News…
Plot
In November 1984, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union creates a new nuclear submarine that runs silent due to a revolutionary propulsion system. The Russian submarine Captain, Marko Ramius (Sir Sean Connery), defects. His goal is taking it to the U.S. to prevent the Russians from using it to start nuclear war against the U.S.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Hunt for Red October.
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