Crimson Tide
2.5/4
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Craven, George Dzundza, James Gandolfini
Rated R for Strong Language
The premise of "Crimson Tide," which has two commanders of a nuclear submarine battling each other for control of a nuclear submarine, is gripping. Raise the stakes by making the outcome determine whether or not the world descends into nuclear war and you've got yourself a movie. Add Denzel Washington as the soft-spoken analytical new XO and Gene Hackman as the "black and white" commander, and your movie just turned into a legendary masterpiece. Or so one would hope.
Don't get me wrong. "Crimson Tide" is not a bad movie. It's just one that constantly shows how it could have been greater. There's no denying that this movie is consistently suspenseful, but there are some fairly serious problems.
A conflict between Russia and Chechnyan rebels has turned into an outright civil war. A rogue Russian commander has taken control of a nuclear launch installation and has threatened to launch against the United States and Japan. The USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine, has been sent in to patrol the area around the site and launch a nuclear strike should the rebel commander start fueling the rockets. Long time commander of the sub, Captain Frank Ramsey (Hackman) needs a new XO, and Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Washington) is at the top of the list. The two do not see eye to eye; Ramsey, one of the last commanders to have actual combat experience, follows procedure by the book and without question. Hunter, on the other hand, is an eductated man, well versed in miltary tactics and analysis. The two make an effort to work with each other, although that may be a fool's hope.
While near the Russian missile site, they get a message to launch their missles. As they are preparing to launch, they are attacked by an enemy sub. During the attack, the radio is damaged, so the next message they receive is incomplete. Ramsey thinks that it's irrelevant and that they must launch. Hunter thinks they should wait until they get the radio repaired to confirm their orders. Both men are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the other man from taking control.
Periodically, film critics toss around the term "miscast" when describing an actor's performance doesn't fit the character. For example, motormouth comic Chris Tucker wouldn't be the most appropriate actor to play the introspective Hamlet. But while neither of the leads is miscast (both are fine, but unspectacular), director Tony Scott is. The late Tony Scott, brother of Ridley Scott, is better known for making action movies like "Top Gun" or "Unstoppable." Directing a psychological thriller, which is essentially what "Crimson Tide" is, requires a defter touch.
To his credit, Scott doesn't completely blow it. Far from it in fact. Scott does a respectable job, but I can't help thinking that someone who knows the genre better might have made a better film. Maybe Jon Amiel, who helmed "Copycat." Or Jonathan Demme, who made "The Silence of the Lambs." Come to think of it, Kathryn Bigelow did something similar to this movie in "K-19: The Widowmaker" ten years later. The problem with Scott's direction is that the suspense doesn't build very much. It starts at 90% and goes from there. He doesn't know at what level to play some of the scenes, which makes some of them (including a shouting match between Washington and Hackman) ring false. The script also needed a few minor rewrites; as it is, it is overstuffed and prone to confusing plot inconsistencies. In a dumb action movie, such things are excusable, but in a movie like this, they're magnified.
Speaking of which, the main thing that is missing from this movie is a sense of desperation and claustrophobia. We see that the characters, especially the young sailors, are being pushed to the point of a breakdown by the uncertainty of a situations where the consequences of action are terrible no matter what happens. But we don't feel it. The tension feels rather routine, even if it is present. More disappointing is the lack of claustrophobia. A submarine is a great place to set a thriller because it's usually a war situation (always a great setting for drama) and it's an enclosed space and as anyone who has been in a tight space can attest, claustrophobia is a sure-fire way to increase the tension. That sense of being trapped in a small space is missing from this movie.
To Scott's credit, he allows Ramsey and his cohorts the latitude to explain their points of view. These aren't war-mongering psychopaths eager to spill blood. They want to strike first because if those rockets launch, then huge areas of the home country are going to be wiped out. And the clock is ticking. To them, it's worth risking open war to stop. For Hunter, it is not. He wants to wait and get the radio repaired and confirm the orders. Unfortunately for all of them, the clock is ticking. Sadly, Scott doesn't allow the actors to play their characters with shades of gray. The script may not portray these men in black and white, but the actors do.
Acting wise, the film is on solid ground. Washington and Hackman are effective, but these are roles they can do in their sleep, and that's what they're doing. Still, with their talent, that's more than acceptable for a movie like this. The supporting cast is made up of reliable character actors like Matt Craven, George Dzundza, and pre-famous Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini. All do solid jobs. Jason Robards has a cameo at the end.
In the end, "Crimson Skies" has all the pieces for a masterful game of "king of the hill," but Tony Scott doesn't assemble them quite right.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, Matt Craven, George Dzundza, James Gandolfini
Rated R for Strong Language
The premise of "Crimson Tide," which has two commanders of a nuclear submarine battling each other for control of a nuclear submarine, is gripping. Raise the stakes by making the outcome determine whether or not the world descends into nuclear war and you've got yourself a movie. Add Denzel Washington as the soft-spoken analytical new XO and Gene Hackman as the "black and white" commander, and your movie just turned into a legendary masterpiece. Or so one would hope.
Don't get me wrong. "Crimson Tide" is not a bad movie. It's just one that constantly shows how it could have been greater. There's no denying that this movie is consistently suspenseful, but there are some fairly serious problems.
A conflict between Russia and Chechnyan rebels has turned into an outright civil war. A rogue Russian commander has taken control of a nuclear launch installation and has threatened to launch against the United States and Japan. The USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine, has been sent in to patrol the area around the site and launch a nuclear strike should the rebel commander start fueling the rockets. Long time commander of the sub, Captain Frank Ramsey (Hackman) needs a new XO, and Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Washington) is at the top of the list. The two do not see eye to eye; Ramsey, one of the last commanders to have actual combat experience, follows procedure by the book and without question. Hunter, on the other hand, is an eductated man, well versed in miltary tactics and analysis. The two make an effort to work with each other, although that may be a fool's hope.
While near the Russian missile site, they get a message to launch their missles. As they are preparing to launch, they are attacked by an enemy sub. During the attack, the radio is damaged, so the next message they receive is incomplete. Ramsey thinks that it's irrelevant and that they must launch. Hunter thinks they should wait until they get the radio repaired to confirm their orders. Both men are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the other man from taking control.
Periodically, film critics toss around the term "miscast" when describing an actor's performance doesn't fit the character. For example, motormouth comic Chris Tucker wouldn't be the most appropriate actor to play the introspective Hamlet. But while neither of the leads is miscast (both are fine, but unspectacular), director Tony Scott is. The late Tony Scott, brother of Ridley Scott, is better known for making action movies like "Top Gun" or "Unstoppable." Directing a psychological thriller, which is essentially what "Crimson Tide" is, requires a defter touch.
To his credit, Scott doesn't completely blow it. Far from it in fact. Scott does a respectable job, but I can't help thinking that someone who knows the genre better might have made a better film. Maybe Jon Amiel, who helmed "Copycat." Or Jonathan Demme, who made "The Silence of the Lambs." Come to think of it, Kathryn Bigelow did something similar to this movie in "K-19: The Widowmaker" ten years later. The problem with Scott's direction is that the suspense doesn't build very much. It starts at 90% and goes from there. He doesn't know at what level to play some of the scenes, which makes some of them (including a shouting match between Washington and Hackman) ring false. The script also needed a few minor rewrites; as it is, it is overstuffed and prone to confusing plot inconsistencies. In a dumb action movie, such things are excusable, but in a movie like this, they're magnified.
Speaking of which, the main thing that is missing from this movie is a sense of desperation and claustrophobia. We see that the characters, especially the young sailors, are being pushed to the point of a breakdown by the uncertainty of a situations where the consequences of action are terrible no matter what happens. But we don't feel it. The tension feels rather routine, even if it is present. More disappointing is the lack of claustrophobia. A submarine is a great place to set a thriller because it's usually a war situation (always a great setting for drama) and it's an enclosed space and as anyone who has been in a tight space can attest, claustrophobia is a sure-fire way to increase the tension. That sense of being trapped in a small space is missing from this movie.
To Scott's credit, he allows Ramsey and his cohorts the latitude to explain their points of view. These aren't war-mongering psychopaths eager to spill blood. They want to strike first because if those rockets launch, then huge areas of the home country are going to be wiped out. And the clock is ticking. To them, it's worth risking open war to stop. For Hunter, it is not. He wants to wait and get the radio repaired and confirm the orders. Unfortunately for all of them, the clock is ticking. Sadly, Scott doesn't allow the actors to play their characters with shades of gray. The script may not portray these men in black and white, but the actors do.
Acting wise, the film is on solid ground. Washington and Hackman are effective, but these are roles they can do in their sleep, and that's what they're doing. Still, with their talent, that's more than acceptable for a movie like this. The supporting cast is made up of reliable character actors like Matt Craven, George Dzundza, and pre-famous Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini. All do solid jobs. Jason Robards has a cameo at the end.
In the end, "Crimson Skies" has all the pieces for a masterful game of "king of the hill," but Tony Scott doesn't assemble them quite right.
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