Movies

Let's talk about some of the things that make a movie a classic.Acting? Check. Just look at the stars.Script? Check. Based on book by Clancy back when people read books (and dinosaurs walked) and Clancy OWNED his niche.Cinematography? Direction? That it takes place on a sub means it is distinctive and memorable from the getgo. Something about the claustrophobia of a submarine reflected in the claustrophobia of a movie theatre.Most of important of all is the pacing. There are few films that I have seen this many times and the reason is that the story builds so beautifully. With such a great payoff. Story telling at its finest. So tricks, so attempt to sucker punch the viewer, not even any pretty girls to distract from the weak scenes. Because there are none.A classic. And under-rated.

I was attached to the USS Portsmouth when this movie was made here in San Diego, at the Point Loma Submarine Base; some of my closest friends were cast as Soviet sailors in the movie. This movie is amazingly accurate on many levels (granted, there are goofs here and there...but nothing that a non-submarine sailor would be likely to catch). I actually had the pleasure of serving onboard two of the subs featured in this movie; the second one was the USS Blueback (SS 581), which was the last diesel submarine in our navy. The scene where the submarine flies out of the water is actually the Blueback, during an emergency surface; a little scary the first time I did it, but incredibly fun every other time I did it. This movie brings back so many memories, and I hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as I have.

It's almost 10 years now but I am still awed by the caliber of the film. McTiernan has made a moderately good book by Clancy into an outstanding political thriller.The complexity of the film is particularly challenging. Clancy plots are notorious for beginning with several different threads that interweave somewhere in the book. Screenwriter Larry Ferguson takes apart those threads and models a film based on dual protagonists, Connery and Baldwin. The myriad of supporting actors (including current TN Sen. Fred Thompson) that appear on screen subsequently all have distinct but nonetheless crucial roles to the plot.Baldwin, in what is and will probably be his career best role ever, shines as the intelligent and patriotic Jack Ryan, a thinking man's hero. Connery lends incredible presence, as usual, to his interpretation of Ramius.A pure masterpiece.