Reviewed by Mike Crowl
Given the antagonism Hollywood often extends towards Christianity, there's an intriguing scene early on in the film, Crimson Tide, when the characters - and the audience along with them - celebrate God's creation. The soundtrack reverberates with a resounding male choir singing the hymn, "For those in peril on the sea." Perhaps the director (Tony Scott) or the composer (Hans Zimmer) thought this would be an ironic commentary on the situation, (and perhaps later in the film, when the hymn is re-echoed during a most distressing scene, it is), but curiously, the power of the hymn, coupled with the massive, rolling waves engulfing the submarine, stirs the soul mightily.
Crimson Tide has a very straightforward and simple plot concerning a post-Cold War nuclear threat, and the rightness of obeying orders unthinkingly. But the film is so intense, and the pace so crisp, that the audience stays on the edge of its seat much of the time. This is due to top production at all levels, (particularly art, music and sound), with energetic direction and knife-edged editing.
Along with these are the characterizations produced by Gene Hackman and Denzil Washington, in what could easily be stereotype roles. Hackman remains believable even when we might regard his character as incredible - there's always something more ticking over in his brain than the spoken script provides. Washington brings authority to his role, both early on when he is slow to speak of matters he believes are complex rather than simple, and later when he is forced to take over the captaincy of the sub. The rest of the crew are so delineated that we quickly figure out who's who in what might merely be a large cast of faces.
This being a story about the navy and the sea and submarines, we're never allowed to forget the way water plays an enormous part in these men's lives. During the early sequence on land, rain thunders down and is reflected through windows onto walls and ceilings indoors, and outside, thuds off umbrellas, wet-weather gear, vehicles and the sub itself. And once we're on board the sub, we're always aware how thin a shell separates these men from the all-engulfing ocean. At one point the ocean penetrates this shell and threatens to send them to a water-filled grave.
For a "war" film, there is minimal violence, but there is a liberal dose of the famous four-letter word, and one or two off-colour jokes. If you can ignore these, (unlike some films, they're not thrust at you), you'll enjoy a tense, exciting, never-give-an-inch movie.
copyright 1997 Mike Crowl
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