Another of Sean Connery’s great performances being celebrated after his recent death is that of Russian submarine skipper Marko Ramius, in the first Tom Clancy adaptation to reach the big screen. Thirty years later it remains top-notch entertainment, and the best of the five Clancy movies made so far (a sixth, Without Remorse, is due early next year).

John McTiernan’s movie follows CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) as he is pushed and pulled from his comfortable London digs to Washington, and much, much further due to his curiosity about a big Russian submarine with mysterious new features. Ryan jumps from a high level D. C. briefing (given, to his surprise, by himself) to an aircraft carrier in the mid-Atlantic, then onto a submarine, all to prove a wild theory that even he has a hard time believing. The film benefits immensely from Ryan’s wide-eyed guilelessness, his ability to think quickly, and his reluctant confidence.

The film is beautifully plotted and meticulously filmed by McTiernan, still at the top of his game after Predator and Die Hard. The way the narrative transitions from Russian subtitles to English is brilliant, while the almost exclusively male cast is superb, from Connery’s arrogant Ramius to a host of smaller roles on both sides of the Cold War. The military activity is a big focus but so are the political ramifications, while the tension mounts ever more vividly. Perhaps the most effective moment is right after a crash on the aircraft carrier’s deck, and Admiral Painter (Fred Dalton Thompson) declares, “This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” The film works so well because he is right, and the balancing act between the superpowers is as thin as a razor blade, and just as sharp.

McTiernan’s film is overly theatrical here and there, especially toward the conclusion, yet it remains one of the finest films of its kind ever made. Alec Baldwin is perfect in the role of Jack Ryan; I’ve always thought he was an idiot for relinquishing the role in Patriot Games and A Clear and Present Danger to Harrison Ford. Those films are certainly good, but I think they would have been better with Baldwin. It doesn’t matter, he’s had a decent career anyway. So has the top-billed star of the show, Sean Connery. He’s had a treasure trove of great roles, and Marko Ramius is near the top of that list. I am grateful to be able to see him on the big screen again. It’s been a good week at the movies for me. ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. 11 November 2020.