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In a clever prologue, we're led to believe that the events that are about to unfold before us might be true. A lie told badly, we're informed that government sources have repeated denied that these events ever took place. During the height of the Cold War, some Soviet strategists felt that a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States would be the best course of action. A first strike weapon of awesome firepower was built. It is a huge missile submarine capable of showering continental United States with hundreds of nuclear warheads. It's propelled by a silent propulsion system. It's called Red October and is commanded by Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), a preeminent naval officer and submariner, the man who trains Soviet submarine captains. As Ramius takes the Red October out on its maiden voyage, it becomes clear that he has greater concerns than satisfying his chain of command. He has decided to defect and to turn over his boat to the Americans. He wishes to provide the means to counter this new threat that he commands, to maintain the balance of power, and to prevent its use in a preemptive strike. He's unaware of just how closely the United States has been following the development of his new boat.

The C.I.A. is aware of this largest missile platform in the Soviet submarine fleet. They've even managed to secure a few grainy picture of the boat under construction in dry dock. Of particular concern to analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) are odd openings at the bow and stern. He's so alarmed that he flies - not one of his favorite activities - from London to Washington to voice his concerns in person. He reports to his superior, Admiral James Greer (James Earl Jones) and asks permission to consult with submarine expert Skip Tyler (Jeffrey Jones). Tyler correctly suggests that the openings are most likely the intakes and thrust chambers of a Magneto Hydrodynamic Propulsion System or Caterpillar Drive, an essentially silent system that would render American hydro-acoustic detection systems useless. Such a submarine could travel undetected to a firing position off the U.S. coastline and reduce attack times to mere minutes.

When Ryan reports back to Greer, he's told that the situation has become critical. The Red October had put out to sea and the bulk of the Soviet Navy seems to be in pursuit. Greer takes Ryan to a conference room located under the White House for a highly classified meeting in which a very nervous Ryan is to brief his findings. National Security Advisor Jeffrey Pelt (Richard Jordan) chairs the meeting. Most of the Joint Chiefs are there. And the group is distressed. Is this Soviet naval activity a prelude to nuclear war? Has the captain of the Red October gone rogue, posing a threat to America. As the participants bicker, Ryan deduces another possible explanation; Ramius may be defecting. As unlikely as his suggestion may be, Pelt decides to hedge his bets; a reluctant Ryan is thrust into the heart of the action. He's sent to the North Atlantic to help contact Ramius and if his intention is to defect, to help him.

Ryan is transported to the aircraft carrier Enterprise and then to the American attack submarine Dallas. The Dallas has been shadowing the Red October, and will soon receive orders to fire upon it. Will Ryan be able to intercede and prevent the Red October's destruction? Is Clancy obsessed with accurate detail? The Hunt for Red October is supported by a remarkable cast. Scott Glenn is the Dallas skipper, Commander Bart Mancuso. Sam Neill is Ramius' executive officer Vasily Borodin. Fred Dalton Thompson, the actor turned very conservative U.S. Senator who is returning to acting, plays Admiral Joshua Painter. Tim Curry is the Red October's ship's surgeon, Doctor Petrov. The cast is peppered with Russian emigres from Los Angeles to man the Red October and American naval personnel to add layers of authenticity to the show. Director John McTiernan maintains a palpable tension throughout, even during those scenes that could have fallen quite flat. This is a wonderful Cold War drama.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. Edge halos are virtually absent. I can recall only one scene in which they intruded. The Dallas and the Red October have come to periscope depth. The captains are peering at each other's periscope though their own; the Dallas' periscope, black against a bright background, is surrounded by a bright halo. Five seconds isn't bad in a film that runs 135 minutes. Fine textures and small object detail aren't up to the finest transfers; I'm certain that many will consider this transfer soft. But I'd rather have a touch of softness to achieve a better simulation of film than the illusion of sharpness contaminated with halos. Colors are splendid. The opening title is highly saturated red against a black background. It's vivid, pure, noise free, and does not smear. During battle stations, when the interior of a submarine is illuminated in red, the previous D2-based non-anamorphic release became unfocused and diffuse. This transfer stays sharp and objects remain well defined. Shadow detail is average. Folds and gradients on the dark Soviet uniforms are visible, but just barely. Dark scenes don't seem to have the deep, rich blacks we've come to expect from transfers of more current films; this may have been a compromise to improve shadow detail. I noticed no compression artifacts. I'm left with the impression of a fine film-like presentation.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

There two 5.1 tracks on this DVD: Dolby Digital and DTS. Each is excellent. Highly directional cues are placed in the surround channels, like the aircraft catapult aboard the Enterprise. The surrounds can be quite active, immersing the viewer in aircraft or shipboard sounds. EX decoding will enhance the experience, but be aware that there is a balance shift - not a collapse - to the center surround. Dropping that channel's gain by 2 or 3 dB will help restore a better surround balance. Deep bass is present, but the lowest octave is missing or attenuated. Sound effects are very good, but sound like they are slightly band limited. Dialog remains very clear throughout. The fine score by Basil Poledouris, which features a Russian chorus, fairs best. As I switched back and forth between Dolby Digital and DTS for the inevitable comparison, it was only the score and the massed voices of the chorus that had any noticeable, but subtle, improvement in timbre.

The alternative language track is in French and presented in 2.0 stereo. The audio is supported by subtitles in Spanish and English, for which Closed Captions are provided.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Paramount Home Entertainment has included three supplements on this Special Collector's Edition DVD. The first is a screen-specific audio commentary by director John McTiernan. During the first half of the film, McTiernan mostly discusses the technical aspects of the shoot. He might describe lens focal lengths, or gimbaled sets, or the full-sized mockup of Red October's deck and sail mounted on two barges. Regular readers will recall my preference for this kind of content. As the film progresses, he shifts his approach and talks about his players, their approaches to the roles, and the challenges of distilling Clancy's dense work into film of practical length. I enjoyed his monologue, but be prepared for gaps. He will frequently sit back and watch the film for a while before offering his next observation.

The included featurette is entitled Beneath the Surface - New Cast & Crew Interviews (28:57). Despite Paramount's 2002 copyright date, it's not clear to me that all of those interviews are fresh. Perhaps Sean Connery's appearance on the set might have given it away? Regardless, this is a fine little featurette that reveals interesting details about the making of the film. We learn how producer Mace Neufeld optioned Clancy's book and all future books that feature the Ryan character. Baldwin describes how he won the role (after Neufeld couldn't get Kevin Kostner). I was most interested in the description of the set designs, and the use of the hydraulic platforms to simulate the subs' yaw and tilt. And I very much enjoyed the section that shows how ILM filmed the special effects. I found it a bit ironic that to create the illusion of size, the ILM folks had to use a periscope to get close to the submarine models as they were submerged in smoke to simulate water. To Paramount's credit, this featurette is presented in anamorphic video, helping me avoid a manual change of my projector's video mode. Thank you Paramount Home Entertainment; I wish all studios would present their supplements in anamorphic video.

The last supplement on the disc is the film's theatrical trailer (1:43). It's shown in non-anamorphic widescreen (perhaps I was too quick with my anamorphic kudos). The 135-minute feature is organized into thirteen chapters.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts