THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

I love a good submarine film, so once I got past Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine commander with a Scottish accent I was swept along happily enough by this adaptation of a Tom Clancy bestseller. 

It helps that it has a strong cast, headed up by Alex Baldwin as Jack Ryan, and was directed by John McTiernan, two years after 'Die Hard', who once again demonstrates his ability to build dramatic tension and to handle action scenes.

The plot centres on Connery going rogue with a new stealth submarine, and for a while it is an open question whether he is a madman trying to start WW3, or a defector.  It soon becomes clear, perhaps rather disappointingly, that it is the latter.

Of course, if he was a madman then we would have a film more akin to the superior 'Crimson Tide' released five years later. 

Which is not to downplay the considerable virtues of this outing, which is tense and entertaining throughout.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do