The Hunt for Red October 1990

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune: Clancy is known for writing difficult books, but the movie makes plausible a preposterous situation because of Baldwin's convincing, low-key approach to being a film hero. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: Red October is an idealized, dreamy fantasy of life in the business world-harmless as airplane reading, a bit dull on the big screen. Read more

Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times: You may not be limp from accumulated tension when this hunt is over, but its cautiously upbeat global message leaves a satisfying glow and it operates with a crackerjack premise. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: The Hunt for Red October is a lot better than you may suspect. Read more

Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer: The Hunt for Red October is overplotted and sometimes implausible, but McTiernan's clipped style and lavish budget help it through the choppier waters. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: An exciting techno-suspense thriller with a hollow center. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: [McTiernan's] alternation of menace and human interest, technological wizardry and action sequences is subtly calibrated, ultimately hypnotic in its effect. Read more

Vincent Canby, New York Times: The movie finally is never very convincing. Even the special effects aren't great. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The film mechanically uses the crosscutting technique made famous by Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove without any of its wit or focused energy. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The film is a piece of heightened prosaic suspense; it comes at you in big, chewy gobs of exposition and dialogue. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A skillful, efficient film. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Though Hunt shows fitful signs of life, it lacks the human drama of Das Boot, the technical dazzle of The Abyss and the old-fashioned brio of Run Silent, Run Deep. Read more

Tom Charity, Time Out: At its best, with Soviets, Americans and Raimus all at cross-purposes, the movie is an engrossing and exciting battle of wits. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: The Hunt for Red October is a terrific adventure yarn. Read more

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: A leviathan bore, big, clunky and ponderously overplotted. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: A Reagan youth's wet dream of underwater ballistics and East-West conflict. Read more