Crimson Tide

During a state of high alert, the USS Alabama is deployed to monitor a nuclear crisis. When her executive officer falls ill, her captain (Gene Hackman) is forced to draft a new one, Commander Hunter (Denzel Washington.) Following a shootout with a Russian submarine which damages the radio buoy in the middle of a transmission, a disagreement splits the crew in half. Half loyal to Commander Hunter and half loyal to the captain, the situation becomes volatile as the line is drawn between loyalty, mutiny and common sense.

I'm very certain the players for this palace drama were chosen very carefully and very well. With names that add power and presence to this piece, goosebumps line my shoulders and the back of my neck with good reason. Washington and Hackman are well balanced by solid performances by James Gandolfini, Matt Craven, Rocky Carroll and Viggo Mortensen. Mr Mortensen plays the seduced courtier with power, pathos and subtlety. The direction, both in production and post-production, were handled with finesse and dignity. My favorite episode being the Akula attack. Its tension is supported by the casting of Danny Nucci, his acting and the sound levels as he calls the plays from the sonar desk; as well, the swelling cues from Hans Zimmer's sweeping score. The editing was simple, but solid.

My only concern comes from the racial subtext after the disagreement by Gene Hackman's Captian Ramsey. It tries to infer something that is clearly not the point of the piece. This argument leads the viewer to believe the film is about race, but it clearly is not. This film is meant to be a tension-filled drama about two men who differ in their philosophy of war while in command of a deadly arsenal. It's a palace drama with political intrigue and deadly weapons. Also a picture of the modern nuclear submarine. It's not meant to be a "thinking" picture, it's meant to be a hair-raiser...and it is for the most part.

Overall the picture is indeed just that and is well executed, something that never fails to raise the goosebumps that cause my arm hairs to sit vertically for the duration of this story.

****

In: Rick Schroeder

Out: Denzel Washington

Coming Soon: Inside Man