The Hunt for Red October

reviewed by Vivian Rose, age 14, from US

"Red October" is a moderately entertaining film starring a reasonably young Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery.

Baldwin plays a CIA analyst asked to help the U.S. and Russian governments sink a super-silent submarine. Equipped with the latest technology, this submarine makes virtually no noise underwater; in other words, it is nearly impossible to detect and would be undeniably useful in a war. Connery is the captain of this ship; he murders his next- in- command, making it appear to be an accident. Then, he sets out on a very clever mission to get rid of his crew and defect to the U.S.

Although "Red October" captured my attention, I wouldn't say it was incredibly fascinating. The plot reminded me of the later film "Crimson Tide", which had more apprehension and tension.

A few parts of "Red October" were almost silly; for example, when Connery explains this brilliant new submarine technology to his crew, he starts sounding like a mad scientist in an old horror movie. (Incidentally, that reminded me of his role in the ridiculous film "The Avengers", in which he played an entirely preposterous villain.) His character in "Red October" is much more serious, of course, and his acting is convincing, as is Baldwin's.

One last thing: I enjoyed Baldwin's murder mystery film "Malice" much more than "Red October", which simply lacked excitement.

My rating: 3 star

Rating : PG

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