Rating of
2/4
"Crimson Tide" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/06/12
When an American nuclear submarine is cut off from the chain of command, the captain decides to launch his missiles causing the first officer to mutiny. This is a pretty run of the mill submarine thriller elevated once more by the presence of veteran character actor Gene Hackman and a good supporting cast including Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini. The suspense is contrived and the direction by Tony Scott is rather mechanical but thankfully free of the kind of irritatingly gimmicky camera work that has since become his trademark. The gratuitous Tarantino-isms also stand out like a sore thumb. But by far the biggest handicap for this film is the usual Old Glory salutin' militarism that plagues American thrillers of this type; it even bottles out of showing the captain as the villain of the piece even though he basically was trying to start WW III. Paths Of Glory this is not; in fact it's own contemporary The Hunt For Red October is a lot better.
