Crimson Tide (1995)

Undescribable Perfection

Redundant and unnecessary.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Two of our heavyweight actors play opposites in this wonderful suspense film. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington are give some orders in their submarine. The problem is that the orders are not clear and three is impulse versus caution. Gene Hackman is the wizened veteran who has quite an ego. The stakes are high and Denzel Washington needs to follow the restraints he has had embedded in him. There are great scenes of conflict and tension. This is no ordinary decision and the implications of what is done are incredibly significant. Just watch the two fine actors work at their craft. Remember, also, there are some other factors beyond the mission that are involved here.

Excellent acting by Gene and Denzel, but... Mild spoilers ahead...Starts out well as you feel the tension of their mission ahead. But about 30 minutes in, it totally goes into the realm of lunacy. How any captain of a nuclear sub suddenly goes into the insane act of wanting to launch warheads without even knowing if there's a war , is stretching any sense of realism to the film. And add on top of that, not one but two acts of mutiny is the span of 20 minutes, that is totally ridiculous. It became just a total farce. If they just stayed on the psychological battle between Gene and Denzel's characters and not the over the top nonsense, it would of been so much better.

This movie shows us a few men in a submarine.They have a mission there, since there is a risk of a nuclear war started by a crazy Russian man.Two men are fighting their own personal war down there.Crimson Tide (1995) is directed by Tony Scott.Just a little time ago we heard some tragic news that this great Hollywood director has killed himself at the age of 68.One can ask whether his best work had already been done, or would it have been yet to come.Denzel Washington, who worked with Tony in five films (this being the first one), is terrific as Lt. Commander Ron Hunter.What a thrill it is to watch Gene Hackman as Captain Frank Ramsey and the battle between his and Denzel's character.Matt Craven is great as Lt. Roy Zimmer.George Dzundza is brilliant as Chief of the Boat.Viggo Mortensen is superb as Lt. Peter Ince.James Gandolfini does great work as Lt. Bobby Dougherty.Rocky Carroll plays Lt. Darik Westergard.Danny Nucci is Petty Officer Danny Rivetti.Rick Schroder plays Lt. Paul Hellerman.Steve Zahn is William Barnes.Scott Grimes is seen as Petty Officer Hilaire.Ryan Phillippe is seen as Seaman Grattam.Jason Robards is in an uncredited role playing Rear Admiral Anderson.This is a great submarine movie.You can practically feel the tension they're feeling down there.Tony Scott, you did a great job!

My Producer wanted me say a few words about 'Crimson Tide' (4½/5 Stars) and I agreed since it is one of my favorite adventures of all time. This movie captivates me every time. All two hours fly by – it's tightly paced, action packed, has a fantastic story, rich sounds, colors and cinematography and above all else, has two great leads with two awesome performances. I'm a Denzel Washington (when he's not screaming for an Oscar, 'American Gangster,' anyone?) fan and he did great himself, but doesn't hold a candle to one of Gene Hackman's best performances ever. His ability to turn an eyebrow movement into a full semester in film school is uncanny. Overall, I loved the film, never tire of it and despite the "You're both wrong" finale at Pearl Harbor – I never agreed to that, I am glad to now own it on BluRay. My Producer is telling me to shush up and go to bed now. Thanks to guys like these, I can without the fear of nuclear war!(Oh, and on a side note, I developed a whole work news letter based on this film's title & font called "The Crimson Side" since it was in 1996 (so, topical) and we were the RED side of the call center (as opposed to the failing BLUE side.) Pretty clever, eh? Well, then glad to know you.)