For me, I didn't fully work because there was no tension, since the submarine wasn't going to be sunk and no one was going to get shot.

_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.

It took nearly 30 years to finally watch this. You can see a lot of The Rock in here in style. It wraps up conveniently which is kind of disappointing. Gene Hackman is great as usual, Denzel is basically an infallible male Mary Sue and James Gandolfini stills makes me sad knowing how great of an actor he'd become.

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

A strange film that tries its best to coast on the strong central performances of Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, but in the end, the story just didn't work for me. To the film's credit, it did surprise me with the direction it took. I had no idea that the central conflict would be [spoiler]a mutiny, rather than some external conflict with an enemy sub[/spoiler]. The ideas explored within this conflict are also admirably ambitious (i.e. the gravity of nuclear weapons and the responsibility of those that control them). However, the execution ends up feeling superficial and predictable. Many of the critiques that I levied at Tony Scott's first blockbuster, _Top Gun_, also apply here. The pacing is aggressive and there are many instances when the plotting feels overly simplistic. For example, much of the tension in the final act hinges on the repair of a radio. Unfortunately, that's not a very cinematic task and the inevitability of its success left me bored.

The usual fare for Tony Scott. Highly energised, bombastic, good use of tension, stylized.

He employed this to great effect over a career with Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington films.

However this one isn't quite up to snuff. It lacks credibility in the situation. Even two strong leads cannot make it work.

Pehaps it is that neither character is right. Nor are both wrong. Hackman starts out busting balls, then when he is right, he snaps. Washington is wrong much of the time yet is proven correct.

It's all too wishy-washy.


6/10

Seemed way too unrealistic but yet it was enjoyable.

This is the film that made me fall in love with Denzel Washington.

Um filme bem feito que te prende de uma maneira cativante

A submarine about to provoke a holocaust.

This is an excellent movie; it’s the best Hollywood blockbuster I’ve seen in a long time. Is it a little bit far-fetched? Yes, but it’s got 2 great qualities: 1) the acting is absolutely incredible (though is that a surprise when you’ve got Denzel and Hackman as the leads and Viggo and Tony Soprano supporting?) And 2) I love it how both main characters are half-right and half-wrong. It makes you think as a viewer; the bad guy is the one following official protocol. 9/10