CRIMSON TIDE
(Director Tony Scott)
Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal: "Crimson Tide" A Review by Colleen Wallace "Crimson Tide" is one of those rare films: a critical and box office success, a military thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats and a story that inspires thought as well as discussion. Until "The Fellowship of the Ring" blew all previous box office records out of the water, "Crimson Tide" was Viggo Mortensen's best example of making box office bank. While this was one of the projects Mortensen no doubt took to support his family; it's a fine, nuanced performance he delivers in a pivotal role. In the opening, birthday party scene, Mortensen gets the family into the act: the young boy in the white sailor hat is Master Henry Mortensen, sandy haired, adorable and looking like a clone of his dad. Both Denzel Washington and Mortensen wonderfully portray military men struggling with the dilemma of competing commitments of presence and service to family and country. As Lt. Peter Ince, also known to his shipmates as "Wepps," Mortensen is the only character who knows the combination to the nuclear submarine arsenal and he displays compassion, intelligence and remarkable range, admittedly in another nico-riffic role, but in Ince's shoes, I'd smoke too. Gene Hackman and Washington are both amazing in representing the two schools of thought: Hackman as the old school, single minded, blustering Captain and Washington as the well educated, thoughtful, cool headed XO. The characteristic that both lead actors, as well as their characters share is an unrelenting discipline that makes it a pleasure to watch the two work, no matter how heated the debate between them becomes. In live theatre, performance is almost all about the voice, but in film, the eyes have it. To that end, while both are brilliant, Washington owns this film, never losing his cool in the presence of the Captain and reading those who have appeared to have sold him out the riot act without ever opening his mouth. Mortensen has been quoted in a 1999 interview as having sat in to watch the scenes between Hackman and Washington, which is a clue as to how gifted actors who have humility enough to watch and learn from the work of others become even better actors. The power struggles aboard the submarine intensified by attacks on the sub and communication breakdown on many levels both within and without make this a gripping action film. "Crimson Tide" is a must to rent and the acting from the entire cast make it an excellent candidate for purchase and repeated viewing. Colleen Wallace
CRIMSON TIDE
(Director Tony Scott)
A Review & Plot Summary by Pauline Berry
I didn't see this film when it was first released, as there were two "submarine movies" released close together with even the titles having something in common, this and "Hunt for Red October", which featured that famous "Russian Scottish submarine Captain" Sean Connery. "Crimson Tide" is a great movie, directed by Tony Scott, brother of Ridley (who directed Viggo in "GI Jane"), whose previous films have been as diverse as "Top Gun", "True Romance" and "The Hunger" (which featured David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as vampires in the 20th Century, long before "Interview with a Vampire") and his latest "Spy Game" with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
Most of the action takes place in the red and blue-lit underworld of a submarine - perfect for contributing to the tense atmosphere. An absolute "edge of your seat" film with no let up, and Viggo Mortensen has a pivotal role. His character has the hard choices of doing his best to make the right call as the power changes from Gene Hackmans' Captain to Denzel Washington's next in command and back again. As Peter "Weps" (Weapons) Ince, he holds the final code that would allow the launch of nuclear missiles upon a supposedly attacking Russia - except their orders to launch were not quite completed before communications broke down with the outside world. Viggos' character is a study of integrity, although he is forced to make decisions against his better judgement, the character shows, by the end of the movie, why he was trusted with such a responsibility as holding the code in the first place - buying time at a vital point of the film and pretty much saving the world. Viggo plays this role with a mixture of humanity, morality, resignation, flashes of fire and believability, absolutely right for the movie. Its a great role for him and you feel the stress of his decision-making and empathy for him, as he is a moral man/character. There are some great close-ups as tension reaches up the dial to 10 and he is under the greatest of pressure.
Best bit? When Peter (Viggo) has been commanded to arm the missiles and he smokes while looking intently at the control, ignoring commands, holding his ground until whatever eventuality overtakes him.
An excellent suspense/action film, a star vehicle for Denzel Washington, who is always a satisfying lead actor.
9/10
Below is a quote from VM to Patricia Arquette Interview Magazine June, 1995 about the role of Lt. Peter Ince (AKA "Wepps") in the film "Crimson Tide."
"My character is an average person in an extraordinary situation who has to make difficult decisions. It was nice to play a guy with a job and a family, rather than a guy with a big axe to grind. And scary, too, because in a role like that you have to fit in, whereas you don't if you play a sociopath. In this role, I couldn't hide behind violence or fake teeth."
G.I. JANE 
(1997 Director Ridley Scott)
Demi Moore....Lieutenant Jordan "L.T." O'NeilViggo Mortensen....Master Chief John James Urgayle
Anne Bancroft....Senator Lillian DeHaven
Jason Beghe...Royce O'Neil
James Caviezel....Slovnik "Slov"
Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal II: "G.I. Jane"
"G.I. Jane" hit a home run with excellent reviews from such diverse, but widely read and respected sources as Leonard Maltin, Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert and Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone Magazine. So why was there such hideously
bad press surrounding this film? Perhaps it was because Demi Moore had three strikes in the films she made preceding it with "The Scarlet Letter," "The Juror" and "Striptease" and was risking professional suicide via
overexposure. Or maybe Moore's detractors launched a negative buzz or press campaign (it wouldn't be the first or last time that's happened in Hollywood). Possibly it was because no one knew how to pigeon hole this film
as a chick flick or a dick flick that it evoked such wrath. (Crash course: Chick flicks have mostly women's names above the title, deal with emotions other than anger and usually clock in between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Dick
flicks have men's names above the title, deal with a lot of anger, betrayal, vengeance and violence, can run 3 hours or more and win Oscars. It's really Sexism 101, although the medium is film this time.) Despite all the cretins who came out of the woodwork to trash it, "G.I. Jane" has a lot to
recommend it as a film and makes for both challenging and enjoyable viewing.
A lot was made out of the presence of poetry in this film. Perhaps as the lone admitted pacifist poet in a family with many generations of military service in both US and European forces, I must ask, who says poetry is a
novelty in the military? Hey, my colleagues in the United States Marine Corps (I was a civilian working in a recruiting office) taught me the phrase "twisted steel and sex appeal." Doesn't that, or being awakened to shouts of
"Drop yer cocks and grab yer socks!" (US military basic training classic) count? I would argue that these do: they're short, to the point, express complete thought in a minimum amount of words and hell, they even rhyme!
Those whose poetic sensibilities may be offended will not have to delve far
into the work of D.H. Lawrence or Pablo Neruda to find that neither minced words. While I digress and some have whined that "G.I. Jane" was not believable from a military perspective, from a political perspective this
film is dead on.
To that end, the legendary Anne Bancroft hits precisely the right notes as a powerful senator who hand picks Demi Moore's Jordan O'Neill for her Navy SEAL
test case pet project. As Lt. O'Neill, Moore delivers the performance of her
career. The irony many missed is that Bancroft's Senator De Haven has been
doing for years on a white-collar level in the Billionaire Boys Club we call the U.S. Senate, what Lt. O'Neill may do on a blue collar level in the SEALS.
Viggo Mortensen challenges the old cliche that no man is an island as the Master Chief Urgayle and poetry is but one tool he uses to bolster the
illusion of control he carefully creates from the moment he first speaks to his trainees.
Mortensen's Urgayle is unrelentingly tough, but also fair and despite the controversial interrogation scene he displays a breathtaking intolerance for disrespect of any kind, including that shown by the other trainees to Lt.
O'Neill. Sure he's tough on her: he's not easy on anyone. Viewers disturbed by the man on woman violence in this film (a total of 2 minutes total screen time) are encouraged to channel energy instead into donating to or
volunteering at a local battered women's shelter to alleviate the real kind of human suffering close to home and save the drama for the stage, or screen n this case. The training is brutal, but the film hardly presents the
brutality as if it's a good idea. It's Urgayle's job to weed out those who will cave in and it's O'Neill's story, so let's move on.
Among the SEAL trainees the standout performance is from Morris Chestnut, who
stopped hearts as Ricky Baker in "Boyz in the Hood." Also noteworthy are Josh
Hopkins, Boyd Kestner, James Caviezel and Roger Vadim. There's even a shower scene, but that's all I'll give away. You'll have to rent it yourself to see
how that one plays out. As far as screen chemistry, it's all over this film and the trademark expressionistic surreality of Ridley Scott's vision makes the training sequences compelling with a pace that never lets up. The
soundtrack features punk rock high priestesses Chrissy Hynde and Exene Cervenka, Mortensen's ex-wife, who has the last word over the end credits with the song "The Future is a War."
As far as an attraction between the characters of O'Neill and Urgayle, I didn't see one even though Moore and Mortensen are both very attractive, sexy actors who exude the whole twisted steel and sex appeal mystique. For those
intrigued by the prospect, I will offer a "Six Degrees of Viggo Mortensen" story: Mortensen was screen tested for the role that eventually went to Patrick Swayze in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar." Taking
that just one step further in the might have beens of film history, wouldn't these two have been a white-hot pair to conjure with in "Ghost"?
Colleen Wallace
CRIMSON TIDE : REVIEW TWO
This is the first film I saw where I became aware of Viggo Mortensen, Ridley Scott's "G.I. Jane" co-starring with Demi Moore. I have to say Ridley Scott has always been one of my favourite directors whose fame and reputation is still gathering. The list of films he has directed is extremely impressive from "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Black Rain", "Someone to Watch over Me", "Thelma and Louise", "Gladiator", "Hannibal", and most recently, "Black Hawk Down".
This films' production was dogged with rumours and supposed difficulties, but was ultimately an impressive and entertaining film although with some predictably formula elements (a slightly unbelievable plotline at the end). An atmospheric film (of course, with Ridley Scott at the helm), but the co-star, a scene-stealing "hard man" character played with much gravity by Viggo Mortensen made the character and film, really interesting by adding the merest touch of vulnerability (the merest, or was it my imagination?). The film is worth seeing for his performance alone.
Demi Moores' character (Jane) trains alongside men to be a Navy Seal, the first woman to do so in a "politically correct" experiment. Viggos' character is in command and dismissive of her, but not corruptible, instead absolutely brutal and single-minded, giving her even a harder time than the men. We, the audience, knew Demi had to win his approval and she had won it all (bar political back-stabbing). Viggo played this role with a sense of controlled (and uncontrolled) "dangerousness" and is unreadable sometimes, while you wondered whether he (i.e. the character) was enjoying being brutal or not (such brutality actually allowable under the guise of training apparently). This inscrutableness aspect of his character made the film more enjoyable and less clichéd. Was there was even a little chemistry between them by the end of the film? (best left appropriately unexplored).
This film was "bad mouthed" at the time, but bollocks to that, it's a great movie; exciting, entertaining and experiential (albeit vicariously, but isn't that what movies are all about?)
Reviewed by P M Berry
OTHER REVIEWS
The following excerpt is from the Chicago Sun-Times Review of G I Jane
"Urgayle is an intriguing character, played by Mortensen to suggest depths and complications. In an early scene he is discovered reading a novel by J.M. Coetzee, the dissident South African who is not on the Navy's recommended reading list, and in an early scene he quotes a famous poem by D.H. Lawrence, both for its imagery (of a bird's unattended death) and in order to freak out the trainees by suggesting a streak of subtle madness."(Copyright © Chicago Sun-Times Inc.)
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The following excerpt from Movie Review "G.I. Jane' - Barbara Shulgasser, EXAMINER MOVIE CRITIC
"The most refreshing performance is by Mortensen as her commanding officer. He espouses the usual military-sadism spiel, including excusing apparent cruelty with the explanation that it saves lives. Mortensen, who appeared in "Portrait of a Lady" and "Crimson Tide," has rarely looked so sleek, appealing and ready to play romantic leads as he does this time, gleaming out from behind a clipped mustache and a dangerous attitude. This ought to launch his career into the highest spheres."
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The following excerpt from BRUCE KIRKLAND Toronto Sun
"Working from a script by David Twohy (co-writer of The Fugitive) and novelist Danielle Alexandra (White Blood and China Doll), Scott does for the military what
he did for Los Angeles in Blade Runner. He turns it into a creepy, dark place populated by mutated humans and alien beings.
None more so than the spawn of Satan, the command master chief played by Viggo Mortensen. In the movie's most chilling scene, he beats up Moore with the ferociousness
of a psychotic serial killer. Moore's physical and verbal reaction at the end of this nearly unwatchable sequence is the film's real climax, not the Libyan battle
scenes later.
These beating scenes, which leave Moore's character bloodied and bruised, are also the highlight of the experience for audiences, judging by the vocal response I
heard. People applauded, stomped their feet and screamed approval of her standing up to the beating and surviving.
Which makes it even more disturbing when you think about the 'feminist' premise: If men beat women to a pulp (especially one who has shaved her head bald like a
man) and the victims can stand up, scream male specific obscenities and invite more abuse, then they can be accepted and honored."