''Crimson Tide'' is a 1995 American
action thriller film directed by
Tony Scott and produced by
Don Simpson and
Jerry Bruckheimer. It takes place during a period of political turmoil in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, in which
ultranationalists
Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
threaten to launch nuclear missiles at the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
.
The film focuses on a clash of wills between the seasoned
commanding officer of a U.S. nuclear missile submarine (
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...
) and his new
executive officer (
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
), arising from conflicting interpretations of an order to launch their missiles. The story parallels
a real incident during the
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
.
Hans Zimmer, who scored the film, won a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for the main theme, which heavily uses synthesizers instead of traditional orchestral instruments. An extended cut, which incorporates seven minutes of deleted scenes, was released on DVD in 2006, while the 2008
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
release only includes the theatrical version.
Plot
In post-Soviet
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, civil war erupts as a result of the
ongoing conflict in
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
. Military units loyal to Vladimir Radchenko, a Russian ultra-nationalist rebel, take control of a nuclear missile installation and threaten nuclear war if confronted.
The
USS ''Alabama'', a
U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN � ...
, is dispatched on patrol with orders to launch a
pre-emptive nuclear strike
In nuclear strategy, a first strike or preemptive strike is a preemptive surprise attack employing overwhelming force. First strike capability is a country's ability to defeat another nuclear power by destroying its arsenal to the point where t ...
if Radchenko fuels his missiles. Combat-hardened veteran
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Frank Ramsey is in command and chooses
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...
Ron Hunter as his new
XO, who has an extensive education in military history and tactics, but no combat experience.
Tensions arise between the headstrong Ramsey and the more analytical and cautious Hunter, exacerbated by Ramsey's decision to order a missile drill amidst the chaos caused by a galley fire that results in the death of the chief mess officer. Hunter helps fight the fire and discreetly questions the decision but is chastised by Ramsey for the appearance of discord.
''Alabama'' receives an
Emergency Action Message
In the United States military's strategic nuclear weapon nuclear command and control (NC2) system, an Emergency Action Message (EAM) is a preformatted message that directs nuclear-capable forces to execute specific Major Attack Options (MAOs) o ...
ordering missile launch against the Russian base. As ''Alabama'' prepares to fire, a second radio message is detected before a rebel Russian
''Akula''-class submarine attacks, damaging the ship's radio and leaving the message incomplete.
With the last confirmed order being to launch, Ramsey decides to proceed. Hunter refuses to concur as is required, believing the partial second message may be a retraction. When Hunter refuses to consent, Ramsey tries to relieve him of duty. Hunter orders Ramsey arrested for attempting to circumvent
two-man protocol. The crew's loyalty is divided between Hunter and Ramsey, but the
Chief of the Boat
The chief of the boat (COB) is an enlisted sailor on board a U.S. Navy submarine who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to both the Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO).
Overview
The COB assists with matters regarding the g ...
sides with Hunter in having Ramsey relieved of command and confined to his stateroom, putting Hunter in charge.
The Russian submarine attacks ''Alabama'' again. The American vessel emerges victorious but is hit by a torpedo. The main propulsion system is disabled and the
bilge bay begins flooding. As the crew tries to restore propulsion, Hunter orders the sealing of the bilge with sailors trapped inside, saving the ship at the expense of the men. Just before the submarine reaches
hull-crush depth, propulsion is restored.
Officers and crew loyal to Ramsey unite and retake the control room, confining Hunter, the Chief of the Boat, and a few others to the officers' mess. Repairs to the radio continue, but Ramsey is determined to proceed without waiting for verification. Hunter escapes his arrest and stages a second mutiny. In doing so, he gains the support of weapons officer Peter Ince in the missile control room, further delaying the launch and leading Ramsey to proceed to missile control. Hunter's party storms the ship's command center, removing the captain's missile key. Ramsey and his men return to the control room, resulting in an armed
Mexican standoff. With news that the radio will soon be repaired, Ramsey and Hunter agree to wait until the deadline for missile launch. Communications are restored, revealing the full message from the second transmission – a retraction ordering that the missile launch be aborted because Radchenko's rebellion has been quelled. Ramsey turns the
conn over to Hunter and returns to his cabin.
The two men are put before a
tribunal at
Naval Station Pearl Harbor
Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is ...
to answer for their actions. The tribunal concludes that both men were right and both men were wrong, and Hunter's actions were deemed lawfully justified and in the best interests of the United States. Unofficially, the tribunal reprimands both men for failing to resolve their differences. Thanks to Ramsey's personal recommendation, the tribunal agrees to grant Hunter command of his own sub while allowing Ramsey to save face via an early retirement with full honors. The two men part ways amicably.
Cast
*
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
as Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, Executive Officer (XO)
*
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...
as Captain Frank Ramsey, Commanding Officer (CO)
*
George Dzundza
George Dzundza ( ; born July 19, 1945) is an American television and film actor.
Early life and education
Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian-Jewish father, Roman Dzundza, originally from Kalush, Ukraine, and a Polish-Jewish m ...
as Chief of the Boat Walters (COB)
*
Matt Craven
Matt may refer to:
* Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt
*In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance)
* Matt, Switzerland, a ...
as Lieutenant Roy Zimmer, Communications Officer (COMMO)
*
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...
as Lieutenant Peter Ince, Weapons Officer (WEPS)
*
James Gandolfini as Lieutenant Bobby Dougherty, Supply Officer (SUPPO)
*
Rocky Carroll as Lieutenant Darik Westergard, Operations Officer (OPS)
*
Jaime P. Gomez
Jaime P. Gomez (born August 31, 1965) is an American film and television actor.
Gomez was born in Los Angeles, California. He is perhaps best known for playing Nash Bridges's partner Inspector Evan Cortez in 100 episodes of the American pol ...
as Officer of the Deck Mahoney (OOD)
*
Michael Milhoan as Chief of the Watch Hunsicker (CPOOW)
* Scott Burkholder as Tactical Supervising Officer Billy Linkletter (TSO)
*
Danny Nucci as Petty Officer Danny Rivetti, Sonar Supervisor
*
Lillo Brancato, Jr. as Petty Officer Third Class Russell Vossler, Radio Operator
*
Rick Schroder as Lieutenant Paul Hellerman, Damage Control Officer
*
Steve Zahn as Seaman William Barnes
*
Mark Christopher Lawrence as Leading Culinary Specialist Rono
*
Ryan Phillippe as Seaman Grattam
*
Eric Bruskotter as Bennefield
*
Daniel von Bargen as Vladimir Radchenko, Russian ultra-nationalist leader
*
Jason Robards as Rear Admiral Anderson (uncredited)
* Jim Reid Boyce as Diving Officer
Production
Development and writing
In 1993 the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
allowed studio executives researching the movie to embark aboard Trident submarine from Bangor, Washington, with the Gold Crew. Those embarked included
Hollywood Pictures president of production Ricardo Mestres, director
Tony Scott, producers
Jerry Bruckheimer and
Don Simpson, screenwriter
Michael Schiffer
Michael Schiffer is an American screenwriter, video game writer and film producer.
Schiffer is known for such films and video games as ''Colors'', '' Lean on Me'', '' Crimson Tide'', ''The Four Feathers'', '' The Peacemaker'' and ''Call of Dut ...
, and writer Richard Henrick. While aboard, the Navy allowed the film crew to videotape ''Florida''s Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander
William Toti, performing many of the same actions (Executive Officer's response to fire, flooding, missile launch sequence, etc.) that actor
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
eventually performed as Executive Officer in the movie.
The Navy had been led to believe that the movie's storyline was going to be about a Trident ballistic missile submarine crew attempting to stop the ship's fictional computer from launching nuclear missiles and starting
World War III
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
. In movie parlance, the Navy was told the story would be "''
The Hunt for Red October
''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cut ...
'' meets ''
2001: A Space Odyssey''." The Navy wanted the ''Florida'' crew to prove to the studio executives that "there is no computer on a Trident submarine that can launch missiles, hence the storyline is implausible.
Following the at-sea walk-through and missile launch demonstration, ''Florida'' returned to port to drop off the studio executives. During that transit, Toti spent a great deal of time in the ship's
wardroom with the studio executives, walking them through the missile launch redundancy procedures. A few months later, the studio returned to the Navy with the revised storyline, and the Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Hunter (the character played by Denzel Washington) was now leading a mutiny against the commanding officer to prevent a missile launch.
The film has uncredited additional writing by
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
, much of it being the pop-culture-reference laden dialogue.
Filming
Filming took place in 1994. In the end, the Navy objected to many of the elements in the script—particularly mutiny on board a U.S. naval vessel—and as such, the film was produced without the Navy's assistance. The
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
assisted the team for production with the use of the aircraft carrier . The dockside scene in which Captain Ramsey addresses the crew with ''Alabama'' in the background and the crew then runs on board actually features . The sail ("conning tower") was a plywood mock-up since ''Barbel's'' sail had been removed. ''Barbel'' had been sold by the U.S. Navy and was in the process of being scrapped.
Because of the Navy's refusal to cooperate with the filming, the production company was unable to secure footage of a submarine submerging. After checking to make sure there was no law against filming naval vessels, the producers waited at the submarine base at
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...
until a submarine put to sea. After a submarine (coincidentally, the real USS ''Alabama'') left port, they pursued it in a boat and helicopter, filming as they went. They continued to do so until she submerged, giving them the footage they needed to incorporate into the film.
Music
The musical score for ''Crimson Tide'' was composed by
Hans Zimmer, and employs a blend of
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
, choir and
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
sounds. It includes additional music by
Nick Glennie-Smith, who also conducted the orchestra, and the choir was conducted by
Harry Gregson-Williams. It was released on physical formats on May 16, 1995, by
Hollywood Records. Within the score is the well-known naval hymn, "
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a British hymn traditionally associated with seafarers, particularly in the maritime armed services. Written in 1860, its author, William Whiting, was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psal ...
". The score won a
Grammy Award in 1996 for
Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television, and Zimmer has described it as one of his personal favorites.
Reception
Box office
''Crimson Tide'' earned $18.6 million in the United States on its opening weekend, which ranked #1 for all films released that week. Overall, it earned $91 million in the U.S. and an additional $66 million internationally, for a total of $157.3 million.
Critical reception
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
reports that 89% of 53 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.5/10. The consensus reads, "Boasting taut, high energy thrills and some cracking dialogue courtesy of an uncredited Quentin Tarantino, ''Crimson Tide'' finds director Tony Scott near the top of his action game."
Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...
'' wrote, "This is the rare kind of war movie that not only thrills people while they're watching it, but invites them to leave the theater actually discussing the issues," and ultimately gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four. Meanwhile,
Mick LaSalle of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...
'' wrote, "''Crimson Tide'' has everything you could want from an action thriller and a few other things you usually can't hope to expect."
Owen Gleiberman of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' wrote that, "what makes ''Crimson Tide'' a riveting pop drama is the way the conflict comes to the fore in the battle between two men. ... The end of the world may be around the corner, but what holds us is the sight of two superlatively fierce actors working at the top of their game."
Awards
''Crimson Tide'' was nominated for three
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s, for
Film Editing (
Chris Lebenzon),
Sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
(
Kevin O'Connell,
Rick Kline,
Gregory H. Watkins and
William B. Kaplan
William B. Kaplan is an American sound engineer. He has over 125 credits to his name and has been nominated for seven Academy Awards in the category Best Sound. He has worked on over 80 films since 1972.
Selected filmography
* ''Back to the Fu ...
) and
Sound Editing (
George Watters II).
Historical parallels
The film closely parallels events that occurred during the
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
onboard
Soviet submarine ''B-59'', with Denzel Washington's character reflecting
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
second-in-command
Vasily Arkhipov.
Influence
Robert S. Mueller, in his years as
FBI Director, often quoted a line by Gene Hackman's character Captain Ramsey in his meetings with the senior leadership of the FBI: "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it."
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
1995 films
1995 action thriller films
American action thriller films
Films about the military
Films about mutinies
Films about nuclear war and weapons
Films about the United States Navy
Films directed by Tony Scott
Films produced by Don Simpson
Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Films scored by Hans Zimmer
Films set in 1994
Hollywood Pictures films
Films with screenplays by Quentin Tarantino
Submarine films
Films set in Washington (state)
Films set in Hawaii
Techno-thriller films
Films about coups d'état
1990s English-language films
1990s American films