Crimson Tide

_Crimson Tide_ has to be one of my all-time favorite movies. The plot is excellent, with so many suspenseful angles that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire film. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman both deliver outstanding performances, really bringing their characters to life and immersing you even further into the story. What's even more impressive is that, even though it was made over 25 years ago, the film still feels incredibly relevant to current events.

Pretty refreshing to watch this directly after some of Scott’s later work. It’s still too bombastic and artistically plain to call it great art, but I enjoyed the strong 90s stamp when watching it. I love how you can tell Cruise and McQuarrie studied this film for the opening scene of MI7. The solid acting and spectacle elevate a predictable, by the numbers script with weak characters. Still, the writing stands out because it doesn’t rely as much on cheese as a lot of other 90s entertainment. It’s more about the tension, which if fine because you can take the premise seriously (although I have next to no actual knowledge about submarines). I was impressed by how tactile everything taking place outside of the submarines looked. However, because of the weaker writing, it does take a while to get there. It’s not the type of film you could call a slow burn either, it’s just boring when it isn’t being operatic. Overall, a perfectly fine dad movie. 5.5/10