A fine reminder that not all Cold War-era period pieces are unabashed feasts of propaganda. _Red October_ certainly paints the Russians in a very secretive light, but such treatment isn't unfair and the Americans on the other side of the ocean are hardly championed as the infallible superheroes they portray in many similar pictures (and Clancy's original book).

Despite a few technical flubs, the tale is plenty smart and generally authentic, but also understandable enough for a layperson to follow. It's not an easy act to merge simplistic storytelling with a complicated plot, but director John McTiernan manages to deliver both without shortchanging either. An excellent sense of timing and steady, effective pace are most responsible for that success; though a great majority of the film is lost to dialog, the action is spaced out enough to keep the audience comfortably on its toes.

Sean Connery is a tough sell as the Russian captain at the center of the storm, particularly as he makes no effort to hide his Scottish accent, but his charisma and conviction still manage to transform a fairly passive character into a stern, take-no-excuses captain with a pointed political message. Alec Baldwin's cautious, vanilla performance as famed protagonist Jack Ryan is less impressive, but serviceable.

**_Submarine strategies with Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin and Scott Glenn_**

Just before Gorbachev’s rise to power in the USSR, a notable naval commander (Connery) takes a technologically advanced submarine on its maiden voyage to conduct missile drills off of America's east coast. Something happens to draw the ire of the Soviet brass while a CIA analyst (Baldwin) believes the captain might be defecting. James Earl Jones, Sam Neill and Courtney B Vance are on hand.

Based on the 1984 Tom Clancy novel, “The Hunt for Red October” (1990) is a well-done Cold War thriller and the first of currently five movies involving the character of Jack Ryan. The next two are “Patriot Games” (1992) and “Clear and Present Danger” (1994) featuring Harrison Ford in the role. Then Ben Affleck would take over for one installment, “The Sum of All Fears” (2002), before Chris Pine’s “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” (2014).

To appreciate this movie, you have to be in the mood for military-oriented drama/suspense rooted in global politics and an all-male cast (except for a cameo by Gates McFadden). Like “Ice Station Zebra” (1968), the scenes mostly consist of men dialoguing & strategizing in the cramped quarters of submarines or vessels; as well as political rooms/offices. A saboteur is no doubt lurking nearby.

The movie runs 2 hours, 15 minutes, and was shot in America, e.g. Port Valdez, Alaska (opening sequence); Lake James, North Carolina (closing scene); the state of Washington (Port Angeles & Keyport); naval bases in Los Angeles and Connecticut; USS Blueback; San Diego; as well as Liverpool, England (standing-in for Moscow).

GRADE: B