… it took me a long, long time to realise where the “The” goes in this title, and I still usually say “Hunt for THE Red October.”

Me:

• Sean’s eyes as the opening scene… tells you a lot about his status. 
• And then the long pull out to show them in the sub conning tower – magnificent 
• Also the MUSIC. So epic. 
• Everything about this cast makes me happy. 
• The credit scene with Jack’s desk etc: it’s surely the inspiration for the credits in Sahara, as an intro to the main character. 
• Aw, Jack as the family man. And married to Dr Crusher – which will never not be weird. 
• Starting on a plane! Just like Die Hard! And the man doesn’t like flying! Wait, is this a theme? (No: Arnie has no problem with the helicopter.) 
• Slow pan up to the Central Intelligence sign – it’s a nice touch. 
• There is no movie that is not improved by the presence of James Earl Jones. 
• … and also the addition of Courtney B. Vance. “Sea-man Beau-mont.” I love me a human who’s better than the technology. 
• Everything about the Paganini / Pavarotti story makes me laugh. Every time. (“including one WAAAAY out at Pearl”). 
• Scott Glenn! Underrated, right? He does laconic beautifully. 
• I like the close-ups inside the sub – makes it feel appropriately claustrophobic. 
• For those of us who watched a lot of Spooks, seeing Peter Firth as the political officer and speaking Russian is super weird. 
• … still, Firth didn’t quite deserve such a death. 
• (Although: Putin! His characters’ name is Putin!) 
• The switch from Russian to English is really nicely done.
• The reaction of my siblings when I told them what I was watching:

• Chekhov’s mini-sub and its universal docking clamp! 
• Again for those of us with rather different experiences of Tim Curry: seeing him as a very serious medical officer! Is very weird! 
• They really do clever things with the cinematography in the tight confines of the sub: camera in the printer looking up, etc. 
• I thought it was only Welsh working men who were likely to break out into song like that? 
• Imagine having a boss like the Admiral. Just drops you into a briefing for the Joint Chiefs and the President’s security advisor. When five minutes before you were happily researching in the stacks!
• Look at that man think! In a room full of hawks, he thinks! I know, I know, he turns into an action man, but at heart Jack is a nerd. 
• I’ve only just noticed Admiral Greer putting his hand on Jack’s wrist to calm him down. Hilarious. 
• And THEN Stellan Skarsgård turns up! This cast!
• Smoking on a submarine. What a world. 
• This film can’t really figure out what it thinks of how the elite in a USSR sub would act. The officers are eating well; the doctor is a snob, discussing good food and going to the ballet; the officers are eating nice food and there’s fancy drinkware etc on the table. So… the USSR is kidding itself about being egalitarian? or something? We don’t see Bart Mancuso eating… 
• Jonesy is just all about competence. No wonder I like this film so much. Most of it is just people being clever! 
• And a nice bit of background for Jack, having been a marine and his terrible accident that explains his fear of flying. 
• Capt Ramius is a steely-eyed missile man. 
• Alec Baldwin is a walking carpet. 
• And another incongruous actor: Daniel Davis, for those of us who grew up on The Nanny, as an American naval officer? Very weird. 
• Capt Borodin’s desire to live in Montana, to breed rabbits, is adorable. (So of course he has to die.) 
• Just enough background for us to appreciate Ramius’ history; not too much, just enough to make him real.
• Getting off a chopper to a submarine: may be one of the stupidest stunts ever. 
• The Crazy Ivan guess is truly ridiculous. It’s probably the weakest moment in the film. 
• Oh no! Not a reactor leak!!
• There’s Chekhov’s DSRV (and don’t tell me there’s a 40-something Australian woman who doesn’t think of Seaquest DSV when you hear that, I won’t believe you).
• Why does Jonesy join the American boarding party? Who knows!
• And Skarsgård comes screaming in back in for a dramatic dummy spit.
• I adore the interplay between the two captains. They’re so cute. Both ordering Jack around. 
• When Jack exclaims “A goddamn cook??” all I can think in response is: “I also cook.” 
• The final conversation on the river is very sweet. 
• And finally: Jack can sleep, on the plane. 

Him:

• Let’s take a moment to admire how good the bluray transfer is from the film. Colours are great but not overdone, suitably gritty with obvious film grain without being over sharpened or treated with hideous AI smoothing like so many 4k re-releases.
• And let’s mansplain turbulence to the air hostess who may have just flown one or two more times than Jack… 
• We arrive at the US submarine building yard, obviously a fake set. The Americans don’t know how to make submarines.
• The whole helicopter ride out to the sub is genuinely stressful, and I’ve seen this film many many times.
• Morse code aint that fast! Especially if being decoded visually…. (Repeat from the American ship on the surface)
• Be careful what you shoot at, most things in here don’t react well to bullets….